TY - JOUR
T1 - Technology and the size distribution of firms
T2 - Evidence from Dutch manufacturing
AU - Marsili, O.
PY - 2005/12/1
Y1 - 2005/12/1
N2 - Empirical studies have shown that the size distribution of firms can be described as a Pareto distribution. However, these studies have focused on large firms and aggregate statistics. Little attention has been placed on the role of technology in shaping firm size distributions. Using a comprehensive dataset of manufacturing firms and the Community Innovation Survey from the Netherlands, the paper investigates the relationship between firm size and technology. It shows that technological factors shape the distribution of firm size, suggesting that the Pareto law is not an invariant property and that technology can constrain the "self-organising" character of industrial economies.
AB - Empirical studies have shown that the size distribution of firms can be described as a Pareto distribution. However, these studies have focused on large firms and aggregate statistics. Little attention has been placed on the role of technology in shaping firm size distributions. Using a comprehensive dataset of manufacturing firms and the Community Innovation Survey from the Netherlands, the paper investigates the relationship between firm size and technology. It shows that technological factors shape the distribution of firm size, suggesting that the Pareto law is not an invariant property and that technology can constrain the "self-organising" character of industrial economies.
KW - Firm size
KW - Innovation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=31144445616&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11151-005-5053-z
U2 - 10.1007/s11151-005-5053-z
DO - 10.1007/s11151-005-5053-z
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:31144445616
SN - 0889-938X
VL - 27
SP - 303
EP - 328
JO - Review of Industrial Organization
JF - Review of Industrial Organization
IS - 4
ER -
