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Aggregate productivity and the allocation of resources over the business cycle

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  • Sophie Osotimehin

Abstract

RThis paper proposes a novel decomposition of aggregate productivity to evaluate the role of resource reallocation for the cyclical dynamics of aggregate productivity. The decomposition, which is derived from the aggregation of heterogeneous firm-level production functions, accounts for changes in allocative efficiency, as well as for changes in entry and exit. This approach thereby extends Solow (1957)’s growth accounting exercise to a framework with firm heterogeneity and frictions in the allocation of resources across firms. I apply the decomposition to a comprehensive dataset of French manufacturing and service firms and find that entry and exit contribute little to the year-on-year variability of aggregate productivity. Resource reallocation across incumbent firms, however, plays an important role in the dynamics of aggregate productivity. The efficiency of resource allocation improves during downturns and tend to reduce the volatility of aggregate productivity

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  • Sophie Osotimehin, 2013. "Aggregate productivity and the allocation of resources over the business cycle," Virginia Economics Online Papers 404, University of Virginia, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:vir:virpap:404
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    7. In Hwan Jo & Tatsuro Senga, 2016. "Firm Dynamics, Misallocation and Targeted Policies," Working Papers 809, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    8. Thomas Philippon & Ariell Reshef, 2013. "An International Look at the Growth of Modern Finance," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 27(2), pages 73-96, Spring.
    9. Kaoru Hosono & Miho Takizawa, 2019. "Dynamic Productivity Decomposition with Allocative Efficiency," Working Papers on Central Bank Communication 012, University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Economics.
    10. Uchida, Hirofumi, 2020. "Natural selection: A review of studies on firms’ exit and efficiency," MPRA Paper 103938, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Bertheau, Antoine & Bunzel, Henning & Vejlin, Rune Majlund, 2020. "Employment Reallocation over the Business Cycle: Evidence from Danish Data," IZA Discussion Papers 13681, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Sophie Osotimehin & Latchezar Popov, 2023. "Misallocation and Intersectoral linkages," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 51, pages 177-198, December.
    13. Russell Cooper & Immo Schott, 2018. "Captial Reallocation and Productivity," 2018 Meeting Papers 121, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    14. Sophie Osotimehin & Latchezar Popov, 2018. "Misallocation and intersectoral linkages," 2018 Meeting Papers 561, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    15. Alpysbayeva, Dinara & Vanormelingen, Stijn, 2022. "Labor market rigidities and misallocation: Evidence from a natural experiment," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    16. J. David Brown & Emin Dinlersoz & John S. Earle, 2016. "Does Higher Productivity Dispersion Imply Greater Misallocation?A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis," Working Papers 16-42, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    17. In Hwan Jo & Tatsuro Senga, 2016. "Firm Dynamics, Misallocation and Targeted Policies," Working Papers 809, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    18. Sophie Osotimehin & Latchezar Popov, 2020. "Misallocation and Intersectoral Linkages," Working Papers 20-12, Chair in macroeconomics and forecasting, University of Quebec in Montreal's School of Management.
    19. Sophie Osotimehin & Latchezar Popov, 2023. "Misallocation and Intersectoral linkages," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 51, pages 177-198, December.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    aggregate productivity; aggregate fluctuations; resource allocation; entry and exit; cleansing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity

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