We develop a theory linking "misallocation," i.e., dispersion in marginal products of capital (MPK), to macroeconomic risk. Dispersion in MPK depends on (i) heterogeneity in firm-level risk premia and (ii) the price of risk, and thus is countercyclical. We document strong empirical support for...

This paper develops a search and matching model of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and uses it to evaluate the implications of merger activity for aggregate economic outcomes. The theory is consistent with a rich set of micro-level facts on US M&A, including, e.g., sorting among merging firms, a...

This paper develops a search and matching model of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and uses it to evaluate the implications of merger activity for aggregate economic outcomes. The theory is consistent with a rich set of micro-level facts on US M&A, including, e.g., sorting among merging firms, a...

We study the role of firm heterogeneity in affecting business cycle dynamics and optimal stabilization policy. Firms differ in their degree of cyclicality, and hence, exposure to aggregate risk, leading to firm-specific risk premia that influence resource allocations. The heterogeneous firm...

Central bank large-scale asset purchases, such as the purchase of securities of nonfinancial firms, can induce a misallocation of resources through their heterogeneous effect on firm cost of capital. First, we analytically demonstrate the mechanism in a two-period model. We then evaluate the...

This paper develops a heterogeneous firm general equilibrium model with endogenous innovation and default to assess policies related to leverage and debt overhang. We estimate key model parameters and find that near default, debt overhang induces nonlinearities in firm innovation decisions...