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Productivity in Europe during the Great Recession: Any evidence for creative destruction?

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  • Gonzalo Paz Pardo

    (University College London)

Abstract

This article analyses the effects of the financial crisis and the Great Recession on productivity in Europe by studying the process of labour force reallocation between companies. Using micro-data on company balance sheets, a fixed-effects panel estimation of the predictors of the post-crisis evolution of the number of employees for a given company is used. Identification is achieved through the use of pre-crisis values of covariates. The results are in line with the theoretical predictions derived from Schumpeterian (“creative destruction”) endogenous growth models. Pre-crisis productivity is a predictor of a higher number of employees, which means creative destruction is taking place to some extent. Companies in financially dependent sectors perform worse in the context of the financial crisis. Indebtedness has an uneven effect: positive for large companies and negative for smaller ones.

Suggested Citation

  • Gonzalo Paz Pardo, 2016. "Productivity in Europe during the Great Recession: Any evidence for creative destruction?," European Journal of Government and Economics, Europa Grande, vol. 5(2), pages 82-103, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:egr:ejge00:v:5:i:2:p:82-103
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    Cited by:

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    2. Deb, Pragyan & Furceri, Davide & Ostry, Jonathan D. & Tawk, Nour, 2023. "Creative destruction during crises: An opportunity for a cleaner energy mix," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    3. Henrekson, Magnus & Johansson, Dan & Karlsson, Johan, 2021. "To Be or Not to Be: The Entrepreneur in Endogenous Growth Theory," Working Papers 2021:3, Örebro University, School of Business.
    4. Christian Abele & Agnès Bénassy-Quéré & Lionel Fontagné, 2020. "One Size Does Not Fit All: TFP in the Aftermath of Financial Crises in Three European Countries," PSE Working Papers halshs-02883685, HAL.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    productivity; business cycles; financial constraints; indebtedness; company performance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior

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