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Structural Change Within Versus Across Firms: Evidence from the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Xiang Ding

    (Georgetown University)

  • Teresa C. Fort

    (Dartmouth College)

  • Stephen J. Redding

    (Princeton University)

  • Peter K. Schott

    (Yale University)

Abstract

We document the role of intangible capital in manufacturing firms' substantial contribution to non-manufacturing employment growth from 1977-2019. Exploiting data on firms' "auxiliary" establishments, we develop a novel measure of proprietary in-house knowledge and show that it is associated with increased growth and industry switching. We rationalize this reallocation in a model where firms combine physical and knowledge inputs as complements, and where producing the latter in-house confers a sector-neutral productivity advantage facilitating within-firm structural transformation. Consistent with the model, manufacturing firms with auxiliary employment pivot towards services in response to a plausibly exogenous decline in their physical input prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiang Ding & Teresa C. Fort & Stephen J. Redding & Peter K. Schott, 2022. "Structural Change Within Versus Across Firms: Evidence from the United States," Working Papers 2022-7, Princeton University. Economics Department..
    • Handle: RePEc:pri:econom:2022-7
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    File URL: http://www.princeton.edu/~reddings/papers/NBER_WP30127.pdf
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    1. Chen, Natalie & Novy, Dennis & Perroni, Carlo & Chern Wong, Horng, 2023. "Urban-Biased Structural Change," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 694, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    2. Fariha Kamal & Jessica McCloskey & Wei Ouyang, 2022. "Multinational Firms in the U.S. Economy: Insights from Newly Integrated Microdata," Working Papers 22-39, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    3. Xiang Ding, 2023. "Industry Linkages from Joint Production," Working Papers 23-02, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    4. Justin R. Pierce & Peter K. Schott & Cristina Tello-Trillo, 2022. "Trade Liberalization and Labor-Market Outcomes: Evidence from US Matched Employer-Employee Data," Working Papers 22-42, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    5. Kox, Henk L.M., 2022. "A micro-macro model of foreign direct investment: Knowledge-based gravity forces, self-selection and third-country effects," EconStor Preprints 266494, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    6. Stephen J. Redding, 2020. "Trade and geography," CEP Discussion Papers dp1718, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    7. Magli, Martina, 2022. "The Spillover Effect of Services Offshoring on Local Labour Markets," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 351, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    8. Francesco Bripi & Raffaello Bronzini & Elena Gentili & Andrea Linarello & Elisa Scarinzi, 2022. "Structural change and firm dynamics in the south of Italy," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 676, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    9. Lorenz K.F. Ekerdt & Kai-Jie Wu, 2024. "The Rise of Specialized Firms," Working Papers 24-06, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    10. Martina Magli, 2022. "The spillover effect of services offshoring on local labour markets," CEP Discussion Papers dp1892, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    11. Magli, Martina, 2022. "The spillover effect of services offshoring on local labour markets," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 118048, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    12. Singer, Gregor, 2024. "Complementary inputs and industrial development: can lower electricity prices improve energy efficiency?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 122365, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    13. Teresa C. Fort, 2023. "The Changing Firm and Country Boundaries of US Manufacturers in Global Value Chains," Working Papers 23-38, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    14. Bripi, Francesco & Bronzini, Raffaello & Gentili, Elena & Linarello, Andrea & Scarinzi, Elisa, 2024. "Structural change and firm dynamics in Southern Italy," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 678-691.
    15. Fariha Kamal & Jessica McCloskey & Wei Ouyang, 2022. "Multinational Firms in the U.S. Economy: Insights from Newly Integrated Microdata," BEA Working Papers 0202, Bureau of Economic Analysis.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Intangible capital; Manufacturing; Employment Growth; Non-manufacturing employment; Firms;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • L16 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Industrial Organization and Macroeconomics; Macroeconomic Industrial Structure
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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