This paper studies an analytically tractable model of the formation and evolution of chains of production. Over time, entrepreneurs accumulate techniques to produce their good using goods produced by other entrepreneurs and labor as inputs. The value of a technique depends on both the...

This paper develops a theory of the formation and evolution of chains of production. Entrepreneurs search for production techniques that use alternative sets of inputs, which are in turn produced by other entrepreneurs. The value of a technique depends both on its inherent productivity and on...