Boehm, Johannes, Dhingra, Swati and Morrow, John (2019) The comparative advantage of firms. CEP Discussion Papers (1614). Centre for Economic Performance, LSE, London, UK.
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Abstract
Multiproduct firms dominate production, and their product turnover contributes substantially to aggregate growth. Theories propose that multiproduct firms grow by diversifying into products which need the same know-how or capabilities, but are less clear on what these capabilities are. Input-output tables show firms coproduce in industries that share intermediate inputs, suggesting input capabilities drive multiproduct production patterns. We provide evidence for this in Indian manufacturing: the similarity of a firm's input mix to an industry's input mix predicts entry into that industry. We identify the direction of causality from the removal of size-based entry barriers in input markets which made firms more likely to enter industries that were similar in input use to their initial input mix. We rationalize this finding with a model of industry choice and economies of scope to estimate the importance of input capabilities in determining comparative advantage. Complementarities driven by input capabilities make a firm on average 5% (and up to 15%) more likely to produce in an industry. Entry barriers in input markets constrained the comparative advantage of firms and were equivalent to a 10.5 percentage point tariff on inputs.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Discussion Paper) |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | http://cep.lse.ac.uk/_new/publications/series.asp?... |
| Additional Information: | © 2019 The Authors |
| Divisions: | Economics Centre for Economic Performance |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HF Commerce H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory T Technology > T Technology (General) |
| JEL classification: | F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F11 - Neoclassical Models of Trade L - Industrial Organization > L2 - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior > L25 - Firm Performance: Size, Diversification and Scope, Age, Profit, and Sales O - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Technological Change; Research and Development > O30 - General |
| Date Deposited: | 29 Nov 2019 11:12 |
| Last Modified: | 27 May 2020 23:41 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/102596 |
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