We investigate how competition in product niches affects the ultimate timing of product release for experience goods using data on motion pictures in the United States. We identify product niches that movies occupy along three different product dimensions: common actor, common director, and...

This paper empirically studies how social learning among consumers shapes firms' optimal strategies of using advertising to signal product quality. I present an equilibrium model that describes both consumers' and firms' learning and decision-making under quality uncertainty. My model allows me...

We investigate how competition in product niches affects the ultimate timing of product release for experience goods using data on motion pictures in the United States. We identify product niches that movies occupy along three different product dimensions: common actor, common director, and...

Most microenterprises barely grow beyond subsistence level, as profitable investments are not realized due to barriers like credit, savings, and managerial constraints. Using panel data, this study identifies subgroups that would benefit by an intervention aiming to alleviate constraints. Two...

Does increasing inflation affect firms' investment decisions? This article employs the European Investment Bank Investment Survey (EIBIS) dataset to explore the association between the increased inflation that the EU countries have experienced since 2021, and firms' investment decisions. We find...

This study investigates if financial constraints reduce investment among private and small firms using a rich, census-based dataset of manufacturing plants from Ethiopia. Impulse responses from a panel VAR estimation are used to compare the response of investment to changes in cash flow and the...

We analyse the importance of climate-related investment using a large economy-wide survey of UK firms. Over half of firms expect climate change to have a positive impact on their investment in the medium term, with around a quarter expecting a large impact of over 10%. Around two-thirds of these...

We document that 20% of Compustat firms have above-median investment rates despite having below-median marginal product of capital (MPK), seemingly "misallocating" productive resources. These firms are typically younger and significantly more likely to experience a substantial upward jump in...