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The complex behavior of firms' size dynamics

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  • Gallegati, M.
  • Palestrini, A.

Abstract

This paper's aim is to shed some light to the complex dynamics of firms' size distribution (FSD). In particular we give an alternative explanation to the Cabral and Mata (2003) finding. In that paper they show that the distribution of surviving firms tends to the log-normal distribution. As an explanation they consider the "small-firms selection" argument and introduce the "financial constraint" model. We give an alternative explanation based on a "sample selection bias" argumentation. In other terms, a cohort of surviving firms may have a positive average rate of growth. This simple fact breaks the assumptions needed in order to have an asymptotic Pareto FSD. Furthermore, we show how a simple modification of a well-known multiplicative process of firms' growth, taking into account common and idiosyncratic elements, may reconcile an old aggregate-sector puzzle (Quandt, 1966) on firms' size distribution reported in the literature. The paper shows the possibility to have aggregate Pareto distributed FSD and non-Pareto distributed sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Gallegati, M. & Palestrini, A., 2010. "The complex behavior of firms' size dynamics," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 75(1), pages 69-76, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:75:y:2010:i:1:p:69-76
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    Cited by:

    1. Lina Cortés & Juan M. Lozada & Javier Perote, 2019. "Firm size and concentration inequality: A flexible extension of Gibrat’s law," Documentos de Trabajo de Valor Público 17205, Universidad EAFIT.
    2. Pedro Gil & Fernanda Figueiredo, 2013. "Firm size distribution under horizontal and vertical innovation," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 129-161, January.
    3. Segarra, Agustí & Teruel, Mercedes, 2012. "An appraisal of firm size distribution: Does sample size matter?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 82(1), pages 314-328.
    4. Chiarella, Carl & Di Guilmi, Corrado, 2011. "The financial instability hypothesis: A stochastic microfoundation framework," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 1151-1171, August.
    5. Guo, Jinzhong & Xu, Qi & Chen, Qinghua & Wang, Yougui, 2013. "Firm size distribution and mobility of the top 500 firms in China, the United States and the world," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 392(13), pages 2903-2914.
    6. Christian Cordes & Tong-Yaa Su & Pontus Strimling, 2019. "A critical human group size and firm size distributions in industries," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 123-144, July.
    7. Da Silva, Sergio & Matsushita, Raul & Giglio, Ricardo & Massena, Gunther, 2018. "Granularity of the top 1,000 Brazilian companies," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 512(C), pages 68-73.
    8. Antonio Palestrini, 2015. "Firm Size Distribution and the Survival Bias," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 35(3), pages 1630-1637.
    9. Soriano-Hernández, P. & del Castillo-Mussot, M. & Campirán-Chávez, I. & Montemayor-Aldrete, J.A., 2017. "Wealth of the world’s richest publicly traded companies per industry and per employee: Gamma, Log-normal and Pareto power-law as universal distributions?," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 471(C), pages 733-749.
    10. Gao, Baojun & Chan, Wai Kin (Victor) & Li, Hongyi, 2015. "On the increasing inequality in size distribution of China's listed companies," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 25-41.

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