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Niche Firms, Mass Markets, and Income Across Countries: Accounting for the Impact of Entry Costs

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  • Pedro Bento

    (West Virginia University, College of Business and Economics)

Abstract

I develop a model of monopolistic competition in which I distinguish between niche markets and mass markets, in the spirit of Holmes and Stevens (2013). Firms choose between entering a small niche market with high markups or a large mass market with low markups. Entry costs have a much greater impact on output in the niche market as the gains to specialization are high, relative to the mass market where varieties are highly substitutable. Calibrated to match data from U.S. manufacturing, the model generates an elasticity of total factor productivity with respect to entry costs more than twice that in a model that abstracts from heterogeneous markets. I use data on entry costs across countries to show entry costs alone can account for half of the cross-country variation in productivity and income per worker, consistent with recent empirical estimates.

Suggested Citation

  • Pedro Bento, 2013. "Niche Firms, Mass Markets, and Income Across Countries: Accounting for the Impact of Entry Costs," Working Papers 13-11, Department of Economics, West Virginia University.
    • Handle: RePEc:wvu:wpaper:13-11
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Gil, Pedro Mazeda & Afonso, Oscar & Brito, Paulo, 2019. "Economic growth, the high-tech sector, and the high skilled: Theory and quantitative implications," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 89-105.
    4. Kersting, Stefan & Hüttel, Silke & Odening, Martin, 2016. "Industry dynamics under production constraints — The case of the EU dairy sector," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 135-151.
    5. Pedro Bento, 2020. "Competition, Innovation, and the Number of Firms," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 37, pages 275-298, July.
    6. Guimarães, Luís & Mazeda Gil, Pedro, 2022. "Explaining the Labor Share: Automation Vs Labor Market Institutions," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    7. Kersting, Stefan & Hüttel, Silke & Odening, Martin, 2015. "Structural change in agriculture under capacity constraints: An equilibrium approach," Thuenen-Series of Applied Economic Theory 140, University of Rostock, Institute of Economics.
    8. Pedro Mazeda Gil & Gustavo Iglésias,, 2018. "Endogenous Growth and Real Effects of Monetary Policy: R&D and Physical Capital Complementarities in a Cash-in-Advance Economy," CEF.UP Working Papers 1802, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    aggregate productivity; niche; mass market; entry costs; regulation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development
    • O4 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity

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