Aggregate Dynamics in Lumpy Economies

S-Tier
Journal: Econometrica
Year: 2021
Volume: 89
Issue: 3
Pages: 1235-1264

Authors (2)

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

How does an economy's capital respond to aggregate productivity shocks when firms make lumpy investments? We show that capital's transitional dynamics are structurally linked to two steady‐state moments: the dispersion of capital to productivity ratios—an indicator of capital misallocation—and the covariance of capital to productivity ratios with the time elapsed since their last adjustment—an indicator of asymmetric costs of upsizing and downsizing the capital stock. We compute these two sufficient statistics using data on the size and frequency of investment of Chilean plants. The empirical values indicate significant effects of aggregate productivity shocks and favor investment models with a strong downsizing rigidity and random opportunities for free adjustments.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:wly:emetrp:v:89:y:2021:i:3:p:1235-1264
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24