There is wide variation in the sizes of manufacturing plants, even within the most narrowly defined industry classifications. Standard theories attribute such size differences to productivity differences. This paper develops an alternative theory in which industries are made up of large plants...

The fact that large manufacturing plants export relatively more than small plants has been at the foundation of much work in the international trade literature. We examine this fact using Census microdata on plant shipments from the Commodity Flow Survey. We show that the fact is not entirely an...

This paper shows that plants located in areas where an industry concentrates are larger, on average, than plants in the same industry outside such areas. In some sectors, such as manufacturing, the differences are substantial. The connection between size and concentration is stronger than what...

In this chapter we discuss the data sources and methods available for studying the spatial distribution of economic activity in North America. We document facts about the specialization of states and regions, as well as locations differentiated by their degree of urbanization. We also report...

Big cities specialize in services rather than manufacturing. Big-city establishments in services are larger than the national average, whereas those in manufacturing are smaller. We propose an explanation of these and other related facts. The theory is developed in an economic geography model...

In this chapter we discuss the data sources and methods available for studying the spatial distribution of economic activity in North America. We document facts about the specialization of states and regions, as well as locations differentiated by their degree of urbanization. We also report...

Abstract Labor market outcomes such as turnover and earnings are correlated with employer characteristics, even after controlling for observable differences in worker characteristics. We argue that this systematic relationship constitutes strong evidence in favor of models where workers choose...