We examine aggregate productivity differences across nations using cross-country firm-level data and a quantitative model of production heterogeneity with distortions featuring operation decisions (selection) and productivity-enhancing investments (technology). Empirically, less developed...

In the classical approach, one of the main measures of productivity is the so-called 'total labour productivity' (TLP), which can be computed as the reciprocal of the vertically integrated labour required to produce one unit of net output. In closed economies, this index changes exclusively due...