Extensive and intensive investment over the business cycle

Boyan Jovanovic, Peter L. Rousseau

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Investment of US firms responds asymmetrically to Tobin's Q: investment of established firms-"intensive" investment-reacts negatively to Q whereas investment of new firms-"extensive" investment-responds positively and elastically to Q. This asymmetry, we argue, reflects a difference between established and new firms in the cost of adopting new technologies. A fall in the compatibility of new capital with old capital raises measured Q and reduces the incentive of established firms to invest. New firms do not face such compatibility costs and step up their investment in response to the rise in Q.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)863-908
    Number of pages46
    JournalJournal of Political Economy
    Volume122
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Aug 2014

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Economics and Econometrics

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