Productivity Shocks and Input Misallocation: A Decomposition

Abstract

This paper investigates how productivity dispersion relates to input misallocation in European manufacturing. The model features staggered productivity shocks that create wedges between anticipated and realized productivity for any production input. Using European firm-level data from 2001-2017, I show that, under the maintained model, shocks realized after inputs are committed are the largest contributor to marginal revenue product dispersion for every input, accounting for 75% of the variance for materials, 37% for labor, and 18% for capital. These results are consistent with input misallocation in European manufacturing reflecting post-commitment productivity shocks more than persistent heterogeneity across firms.