It has recently been shown that the firm size distribution is initially skewed to the right and then evolves over time to become more log-normal, and argued that this is likely due to firms initially facing financial constraints, see Cabral and Mata (2003). We conjecture that, it this is true,...

This paper examines the frequency, pervasiveness and determinants of product switching among U.S. manufacturing firms. We find that two-thirds of firms alter their mix of five-digit SIC products every five years, that one-third of the increase in real U.S. manufacturing shipments between 1972...

This paper presents a set of facts on the cyclicality of firm births and deaths in the U.S. during the period 1979--2013. Asymmetry in the cyclicality between firm birth and firm death is observed: aggregate firm birth is generally significantly procyclical, while the (counter-)cyclicality in...

The quest for stylized facts regarding market share and natural market structures is not new, however extant research has predominantly concentrated on share rank and distribution. Using a sample of 220K firm-year observations representative of the US economy over four decades, this study...

The growth of business firms is an example of a system of complex interacting units that resembles complex interacting systems in nature such as earthquakes. Remarkably, work in econophysics has provided evidence that the statistical properties of the growth of business firms follow the same...

We provide an in-depth analysis of Italy's export performance relative to the other main euro-area countries over the last two decades, using both macro and micro data. We argue that the relatively unsatisfactory performance of Italian goods exports until the eve of the 2008-09 crisis is the...

Research Summary: Firm size has long been recognized as a source of competitive advantage. However, the disruptions arising from the knowledge-based global economy are decoupling the link between firm size and profitability. We demonstrate in this article, the structural shifts and evolving...

Increased robot diffusion has raised concerns for its possible negative impact on employment. Following an empirical approach in line with those applied to the US and Germany with contrasting results, this paper provides evidence about the effect of robots on employment outcomes in Italy (second...

This paper provides a long-term demographic analysis of the principal members of the population of companies quoted on the UK stock exchanges in 1948. Motivated by theories of natural selection and of corporate governance, it traces the survival records of the 1948 population over the biblical...