A stochastic discrete choice model and its related estimation method are presented which allow to disentangle non-linear externalities from the intrinsic features of the objects of choice and from the idiosyncratic preferences of agents. Having veried for the ergodicity of the underlying...

Are the observed spatial distributions of firms decided mostly by market-mediated, economy-wide locational forces, or rather by non-pecuniary, sector-specific ones? This work finds that the latter kind of forces weight systematically more than the former in deciding firm location. The analysis...

This paper presents a model of firm localization allowing for non-linear, quadratic externalities. The model and its numerical estimation procedure manage to disentangle localization externalities from the intrinsic advantages of regions. Moreover, the introduction of a quadratic term can...

Are the observed spatial distributions of firms decided mostly by market-mediated, economy-wide locational forces, or rather by non-pecuniary, sector-specific ones? This work finds that the latter kind of forces weight systematically more than the former in deciding firm location. The analysis...

This paper presents a model of firm localization allowing for non-linear, quadratic externalities. The model and its numerical estimation procedure manage to disentangle localization externalities from the intrinsic advantages of regions. Moreover, the introduction of a quadratic term can...

Why was England the cradle of the Industrial Revolution? The present work shows that scale economies and demand, combined with the conditions of the relative prices of input factors, allow to provide a purely economic answer to this question. The labor-saving innovations of the Industrial...

Was the spinning jenny profitable <i>only</i>in England? No. The present work finds that the jenny was profitable also in France. Such result contrasts recent findings on the topic by revising basic computations on the profitability of the spinning jenny.

The size distribution and growth rates dynamics of U.S. manufacturing firms have been extensively studied by many authors. In this paper, using the COMPUSTAT database, we extend the analysis to disaggregated data, studying 15 industrial sectors. We find that among the stylized facts presented in...

The work studies the processes of growth of the world top 150 pharmaceutical firms, on the grounds of an original database which allows also disaggregate analysis at the level of single therapeutical classes and chemical entities.Our findings show that the industry -whose long-term evolution is...