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Misallocation in Firm Production: A Nonparametric Analysis Using Procurement Lotteries

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Listed:
  • Paul Carrillo
  • Dave Donaldson
  • Dina Pomeranz
  • Monica Singhal

Abstract

This paper develops new tools to study misallocation that do not require assumptions about the heterogeneity of firms’ technologies. We show how features of the distribution of marginal products can be identified from exogenous variation in firms’ input use and used both to test for misallocation and to quantify its resulting welfare losses. We apply this method to a setting with exogenous demand shocks from public procurement contracts for construction services in Ecuador. Our results reject the null of efficiency but our estimates of the resulting welfare losses from misallocation are small.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Carrillo & Dave Donaldson & Dina Pomeranz & Monica Singhal, 2023. "Misallocation in Firm Production: A Nonparametric Analysis Using Procurement Lotteries," NBER Working Papers 31311, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31311
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    Cited by:

    1. Brugués, Felipe & Brugués, Javier & Giambra, Samuele, 2024. "Political connections and misallocation of procurement contracts: Evidence from Ecuador," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    2. Carol C. Bertaut & Stephanie E. Curcuru & Ester Faia & Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, 2024. "The Global (Mis)Allocation of Capital," International Finance Discussion Papers 1399, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • H57 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Procurement
    • L10 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - General
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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