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The Review of Economics and Statistics Vol. 89 No. 4 2007

Firms and Aggregate Dynamics

Francesco Franco1; Thomas Philippon2,3,4

1 Universidade Nova de Lisboa · 2 Center for Economic and Policy Research · 3 National Bureau of Economic Research · 4 New York University

open access

Abstract

We investigate the role of permanent and transitory shocks for firms and aggregate dynamics. We find that permanent shocks to productivity and permanent shifts in the composition of output explain at least four-fifths of firms' dynamics. However, these permanent shocks are almost uncorrelated across firms and are therefore less relevant for aggregate dynamics. Transitory shocks, on the other hand, are not very important at the firm level, but they account for most of the volatility of aggregate hours and output, because they are significantly correlated across firms. Finally, we try to make some progress on the interpretation of the shocks.

DOI
10.1162/rest.89.4.587
Volume
89
Issue
4
Pages
587-600
Language
en
Sources
openalex crossref

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