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The drivers and consequences of resource misallocation: exploiting variation across Mexican industries and states

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  • Misch, Florian
  • Saborowski, Christian

Abstract

This paper explores the role of specific structural distortions in explaining Mexico’s weak productivity growth through the misallocation of resources across firms. The paper makes two contributions. First, we show that there is a close correlation between the level of resource misallocation and per capita income across Mexican states. Second, we exploit the large variation in resource misallocation within industries and across states, together with unusually rich data at the establishment, local, and industry levels, to shed light on its determinants. We identify several well-defined and observable distortions that have a statistically and economically meaningful effect on productivity via resource misallocation. In particular, we find that misallocation rises with the prevalence of labor informality, crime, corruption, and market concentration and with weaker access to financial and telecommunications services.

Suggested Citation

  • Misch, Florian & Saborowski, Christian, 2020. "The drivers and consequences of resource misallocation: exploiting variation across Mexican industries and states," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 123325, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:123325
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/123325/
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chang-Tai Hsieh & Peter J. Klenow, 2009. "Misallocation and Manufacturing TFP in China and India," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 124(4), pages 1403-1448.
    2. Christian Saborowski & Florian Misch, 2019. "Firm Size, Life Cycle Dynamics and Growth Constraints: Evidence from Mexico," IMF Working Papers 2019/087, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Diego Restuccia & Richard Rogerson, 2008. "Policy Distortions and Aggregate Productivity with Heterogeneous Plants," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 11(4), pages 707-720, October.
    4. John Haltiwanger & Robert Kulick & Chad Syverson, 2018. "Misallocation Measures: The Distortion That Ate the Residual," NBER Working Papers 24199, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Hugo A. Hopenhayn, 2014. "Firms, Misallocation, and Aggregate Productivity: A Review," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 6(1), pages 735-770, August.
    6. Diego Restuccia, 2019. "Misallocation and aggregate productivity across time and space," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 52(1), pages 5-32, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    resource misallocation; productivity; distortions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • 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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