This is a theory of endogenous volatility over the business cycle based on firm-level intangible expenditures. We propose a firm dynamics model with endogenous market participation. Firms that incur higher intangible expenses are able to serve more markets and diversify market-specific demand...

productivity differences between the US and developing economies.

In this paper we document the relationship between idiosyncratic risk and non productive expenditures at the rm level from the Kauman Firm Survey. We then propose a model of entrepreneurial activity subject to nancial constraints where rms engage in borrowing to nance capital and wages, but also...

Skill intensive technologies seem to be adopted by rich countries rather than poor ones. Related to that observation, the ratio of wages of skilled to unskilled workers - the skill premium - shows two important features over time and across countries. In the US the skill premium decreased during...

Using weekly administrative payroll data from the largest U.S. payroll processing company, we measure the evolution of the U.S. labor market during the first four months of the global COVID-19 pandemic. After aggregate employment fell by 21 percent through late-April, employment rebounded...

Many traditional official statistics are not suitable for measuring high-frequency developments that evolve over the course of weeks, not months. In this paper, we track the labor market effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with weekly payroll employment series based on microdata from ADP. These...

Using weekly administrative payroll data from the largest U.S. payroll processing company, we measure the evolution of the U.S. labor market during the first four months of the global COVID-19 pandemic. After aggregate employment fell by 21 percent through late-April, employment rebounded...

A large literature documents declining measures of business dynamism including high-growth young firm activity and job reallocation. A distinct literature describes a slowdown in the pace of aggregate labor productivity growth. We relate these patterns by studying changes in productivity growth...