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作者

来源

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY,Vol.31,Issue2,P.116-127

语言

英文

关键字

economic development policy; firm growth; regional economics; FIRM-SIZE

作者单位

[Hodges, Hart; Henson, Steven E.] Western Washington Univ, Econ, Bellingham, WA 98225 USA. [Hodges, Hart] Western Washington Univ, Ctr Econ & Business Res, Bellingham, WA 98225 USA. Hodges, H (reprint author), Western Washington Univ, Dept Econ, 516 High St, Bellingham, WA 98225 USA. E-Mail: hart.hodges@wwu.edu

摘要

The existing literature on the relationship between employment growth and firm characteristics (such as firm age, size, and sector) has been used to justify a variety of economic development policies and job creation programs. Some of the programs highlight the importance of small firms, others emphasize the importance of young firms, and others highlight the importance of older, more established firms. The fact that each of these programs can find something in the literature that supports its particular focus suggests problems in the connection between the literature and policy formation. The authors find that the empirical support for such programs is weak. The statistical significance of firm characteristics depends critically on the model specification and/or data set used. Moreover, these characteristics explain only a small fraction of the variation in job growth, leaving policy makers with relatively weak policy tools.