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Kathryn L Shaw - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • serial entrepreneurship Learning by Doing
    Journal of Labor Economics, 2016
    Co-Authors: Francine Lafontaine, Kathryn L Shaw
    Abstract:

    Among typical entrepreneurs, is serial entrepreneurship common? Is the serial entrepreneur more likely to succeed? If so, why? These questions are addressed using data on all establishments started between 1990 and 2011 to sell retail goods and services in Texas. An entrepreneur is the owner of a new business. A serial entrepreneur is one who opens repeat businesses. We find that 25.6% of businesses are operated by serial entrepreneurs. These are the more successful businesses: prior business experience increases the longevity of the next business opened. Results with owner fixed effects suggest that past experience imparts valuable business skills.

  • serial entrepreneurship Learning by Doing
    Research Papers in Economics, 2014
    Co-Authors: Francine Lafontaine, Kathryn L Shaw
    Abstract:

    Among typical entrepreneurs, is the serial entrepreneur more likely to succeed? If so, why? We answer these two questions using a comprehensive and unique data set on all establishments started at any time between 1990 and 2011 to sell taxable goods and services in the state of Texas. An entrepreneur is defined as the owner of a new business. A serial entrepreneur is one who opens repeat businesses. The success of the business is measured by the duration over which the business is in operation. The data show that serial entrepreneurship is relatively uncommon in retail trade. Of the almost 2.3 million retail businesses of small owners of new businesses in our data, only 25 percent are started by owners who have started at least one business before, and only 8 percent are started by an owner who is still operating at least one other business started earlier. However, once one becomes an entrepreneur for a second time, the probability of becoming one a third time, or fourth time, and so on, keeps rising. Moreover, we find that an owner's prior experience at starting a business increases the longevity of the next business opened, and that controlling for person fixed effects, prior experience still matters. Finally, experience at starting retail businesses in other sectors (e.g. a clothing store versus a repair shop) is beneficial as well, though not as much as same sector experience, and not in the restaurant sector. We conclude that prior experience imparts general skills that are useful in running the new business.

  • serial entrepreneurship Learning by Doing
    Social Science Research Network, 2014
    Co-Authors: Francine Lafontaine, Kathryn L Shaw
    Abstract:

    Among typical entrepreneurs, is the serial entrepreneur more likely to succeed? If so, why? We answer these two questions using a comprehensive and unique data set on all establishments started at any time between 1990 and 2011 to sell taxable goods and services in the state of Texas. An entrepreneur is defined as the owner of a new business. A serial entrepreneur is one who opens repeat businesses. The success of the business is measured by the duration over which the business is in operation. The data show that serial entrepreneurship is relatively uncommon in retail trade. Of the almost 2.3 million retail businesses of small owners of new businesses in our data, only 25 percent are started by owners who have started at least one business before, and only 8 percent are started by an owner who is still operating at least one other business started earlier. However, once one becomes an entrepreneur for a second time, the probability of becoming one a third time, or fourth time, and so on, keeps rising. Moreover, we find that an owner's prior experience at starting a business increases the longevity of the next business opened, and that controlling for person fixed effects, prior experience still matters. Finally, experience at starting retail businesses in other sectors (e.g. a clothing store versus a repair shop) is beneficial as well, though not as much as same sector experience, and not in the restaurant sector. We conclude that prior experience imparts general skills that are useful in running the new business.Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.

Alwyn Young - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • invention and bounded Learning by Doing
    Journal of Political Economy, 1993
    Co-Authors: Alwyn Young
    Abstract:

    This paper attempts to integrate traditional models of invention and Learning by Doing, developing a model that emphasizes the interdependence between research activity in the laboratory and production experience on the factory floor. Learning depends on invention in that Learning by Doing is viewed as the exploration of the finite and bounded productive potential of invented technologies. At the same time, the profitability of costly invention is dependent on Learning in that costs of production depend on cumulative Learning experience. The model is a true hybrid, allowing for circumstances in which either the incentives to engage in research and/or the incentives to produce different goods are the binding constraints on growth.

  • invention and bounded Learning by Doing
    Research Papers in Economics, 1991
    Co-Authors: Alwyn Young
    Abstract:

    This paper presents a model of the interaction between invention and Learning by Doing. Learning depends upon invention in that Learning by Doing is viewed as the serendipitous exploration of the finite productive potential of invented technologies. At the same time, the profitability of costly invention is dependent upon Learning in that costs of production depend upon the society's aggregate historical Learning experience. The resulting model is a true hybrid. With small markets, the profitability of invention is low, and hence the rate of invention becomes the constraining factor in growth. With large markets, invention is very profitable and tends to pull ahead of the society's Learning experience. The consequent growing gap between the technological frontier and the society's industrial maturity squeezes returns, leading to an equilibrium in which the rate of invention (and growth) is paced by the society's rate of Learning.

  • Learning by Doing and the dynamic effects of international trade
    Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1991
    Co-Authors: Alwyn Young
    Abstract:

    Using an endogenous growth model in which Learning by Doing, although bounded in each good, exhibits spillovers across goods, this paper investigates the dynamic effects of international trade. Examining the interaction of a LDC and a DC, the latter distinguished by a higher initial level of knowledge, the author finds that, under free trade, the LDC (DC) experiences rates of technical progress and GDP growth less than or equal (greater than or equal to) those enjoyed under autarky. Since both countries enjoy the usual static gains from trade, free trade may, nevertheless, improve the welfare of LDC consumers.

  • Learning by Doing and the dynamic effects of international trade
    National Bureau of Economic Research, 1991
    Co-Authors: Alwyn Young
    Abstract:

    Using an endogenous growth model in which Learning by Doing, although bounded in each good, exhibits spillovers across goods, this paper investigates the dynamic effects of international trade. Examining an LDC and a DC, the latter distinguished by a higher initial level of knowledge, under autarky and free trade, I find that under free trade the LDC (DC) experiences rates of technical progress and GOP growth less than or equal (greater than or equal) to those enjoyed under autarky. Unless the LDC's population is several orders of magnitude greater than that of the DC and the initial technical gap between the two economies is not large, the LDC will be unable to catch up with its trading partner. Hence, in terms of technical progress and growth, the LDC experiences dynamic losses from trade, whilst the DC experiences dynamic gains. However, since technical progress abroad can improve welfare at home, LDC consumers may enjoy - higher intertemporal utility along the free trade path. In the case of DC consumers, as long as their economy is not overtaken by the LDC they will enjoy both more rapid technical progress and the traditional static gains from trade, and hence experience an unambiguous improvement in intertemporal welfare.

Dennis Epple - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • an empirical investigation of the microstructure of knowledge acquisition and transfer through Learning by Doing
    Operations Research, 1996
    Co-Authors: Dennis Epple, Linda Argote, Kenneth E Murphy
    Abstract:

    Does knowledge acquired through Learning by Doing on one shift transfer to a second shift when it is introduced at a manufacturing plant? The answer to this question has important theoretical implications about where knowledge is embedded in organizations and about sources of productivity growth. The answer also has important practical implications for managers planning to introduce additional facilities. This paper analyzes the amount of transfer across shifts at a manufacturing facility. Specifically, we analyze the amount of knowledge that is carried forward when the plant makes the transition from one to two shifts. We also investigate whether the rate of knowledge acquisition differs by shift, and we estimate the amount of transfer that occurs across shifts once both are in operation. In addition, we study transfer over time by analyzing whether knowledge acquired through Learning by Doing is cumulative and persists through time or whether it depreciates.

  • organizational Learning curves a method for investigating intra plant transfer of knowledge acquired through Learning by Doing
    Organization Science, 1991
    Co-Authors: Dennis Epple, Linda Argote, Rukmini Devadas
    Abstract:

    This paper illustrates how a Learning-curve model can be generalized to investigate potential explanations of organizational Learning. The paper examines the hypothesis that knowledge acquired through by Learning by Doing is embodied in an organization's technology by analyzing the amount of transfer that occurs across shifts within a plant. If knowledge becomes completely embodied in technology, transfer across shifts should be complete since both shifts use the same technology. Methods that can be used for studying intra-plant transfer of knowledge are presented. The methods are illustrated by analyzing data from a plant that began production with one shift and then added a second shift several months into the production program. Three aspects of transfer are analyzed: 1 carry forward of knowledge when the plant makes the transition from one to two shifts, 2 transfer across shifts after both shifts are operating, and 3 transfer across time. Results indicate that substantial, but less than complete, transfer of knowledge occurred when the second shift was introduced. Once both shifts were operating, partial transfer across them occurred. Implications of the results for a theory of organizational Learning and practical applications are discussed.

Chad Syverson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • toward an understanding of Learning by Doing evidence from an automobile assembly plant
    Journal of Political Economy, 2013
    Co-Authors: Steven D Levitt, John A List, Chad Syverson
    Abstract:

    We investigate Learning by Doing using detailed data from a major auto producer’s assembly plant. We focus on the acquisition, aggregation, transmission, and embodiment of the knowledge stock built through Learning. We find that most knowledge was not retained by plant workers despite their importance as a Learning conduit. This is consistent with the plant’s systems for productivity measurement and improvement. We further explore how Learning at the hundreds of processes along the production line undergirds plantwide productivity. Our results shed light on how productivity gains accrue at the plant level and how firms apply managerial inputs to expand production.

  • toward an understanding of Learning by Doing evidence from an automobile assembly plant
    Research Papers in Economics, 2012
    Co-Authors: Steven D Levitt, John A List, Chad Syverson
    Abstract:

    Productivity improvements within establishments (e.g., factories, mines, or retail stores) are an important source of aggregate productivity growth. Past research has documented that Learning by Doing-productivity improvements that occur in concert with production increases-is one source of such improvements. Yet little is known about the specific mechanisms through which such Learning occurs. We address this question using extremely detailed data from an assembly plant of a major auto producer. Beyond showing that there is rapid Learning by Doing at the plant, we are able to pinpoint the processes by which these improvements have occurred.

Tanguy Brachet - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • retention Learning by Doing and performance in emergency medical services
    Health Services Research, 2009
    Co-Authors: Guy David, Tanguy Brachet
    Abstract:

    While there is considerable evidence in the case of hospitals and surgeons that high volume is associated with better patient outcomes across a variety of medical conditions (Luft, Hunt, and Maerki 1987; Tu, Austin, and Chan 2001; Birkmeyer et al. 2002, 2003; Halm, Lee, and Chassin 2002; Elixhauser, Steiner, and Fraser 2003; Gandjour, Bannenberg, and Lauterbach 2003; Huckman and Pisano 2006; Marcin et al. 2007), to date no study has examined this relationship in a prehospital setting. Emergency medical services (EMS) networks respond to, stabilize, and transport trauma patients involved in situations, such as automobile accidents, injuries from falls, and violence. EMS is a crucial part of the health care system and the public's emergency medical safety net. However, more than three decades after Congress passed the Emergency Medical Services Systems Act of 1973, trauma victims are treated by EMS with little or no evidence that the care they receive is optimal (Delbridge et al. 1998). There is little research addressing the effectiveness of EMS practice (Pointer 2001) and there are even fewer studies examining the effect of experience accumulation, as proxied either by certification levels (Pollock, Brown, and Dunn 1997) or tenure (Soo et al. 1999) on performance. Our study is the first to use detailed data on experience accumulation in addition to certification levels and tenure to document the performance gains from higher volume. Learning by Doing is one channel through which skills are acquired and therefore provides a potential rationale for the observed positive correlation between volume and outcome. Under this mechanism, more acquired experience improves performance. Nevertheless, the causality may run in the opposite direction, through a selective referrals channel, whereby better performers command greater demand for their services (Luft, Hunt, and Maerki 1987).When using retrospective data to study volume–outcome relations for surgeons, the selective referrals problem is difficult to overcome credibly. Unlike settings which involve the choice of provider (e.g., elective surgery), the unpredictable nature of EMS does not lend itself to selective referrals. Ambulance units are dispatched based on proximity and not on reputation, and trauma victims are not offered the choice of emergency care providers on scene. In this paper, we focus on trauma-related ambulance runs to study the effect of volume and experience accumulation on performance. The evidence regarding the appropriateness of prehospital interventions on trauma victims is mixed. However, the importance of getting the patient to definitive care as soon as possible, allowing only for the performance of essential procedures, is widely accepted in EMS and prehospital time markers are frequently used process measures. Shorter out-of-hospital time intervals represent a potentially important factor in survival, especially in the case of trauma incidents (Sampalis et al. 1993; Feero et al. 1995; Nichol et al. 1996; IOM 2000; Blackwell and Kaufman 2002; Carr et al. 2006). For trauma patients, the first hour of care (also referred to as the “golden hour”) is usually considered critical with some evidence that when the time from the incident to hospital treatment is within this critical first hour, the patient's likelihood of survival is increased (Rawlinson and Crews 2003). In trauma care, the goal is to get seriously injured patients into the operating room of a trauma center with an experienced team of appropriately specialized trauma surgeons as fast as possible. Therefore, it is not surprising that dispatching emphasizes ambulance proximity and EMS contracts often include response standards. We hypothesize that paramedic Learning will lead to shorter out-of-hospital times. In particular, as paramedics become more proficient in diagnosing patients' acuity, identifying the appropriate procedures, mastering protocols and techniques, gaining familiarity with local roads and traffic conditions, and identifying quicker routes to scene and to the hospital, the shorter is the time spent out of hospital, and, in particular, the time spent at the scene. Using the universe of trauma-related ambulance runs in Mississippi between 1991 and 2005, we find that greater volume is robustly related to improved paramedic performance. In specifications that include both individual- and firm-level measures of recent volume, we find small productivity spillovers. In addition, we find that the benefits of recent volume accrue differentially across tenure groups, favoring paramedics with above median tenure. Data limitations have led most researchers to focus on the effect of recent experience (e.g., volume in the past quarter or year) on performance.1 This is appropriate only if past experience rapidly loses its relevance. Alternatively, if past experience matters, high turnover rates may affect overall prehospital performance as paramedic human capital accumulation is subject to more frequent interruptions. The richness of our data allows us to follow 1,728 paramedics (85 percent of all paramedics in our data) for whom we observe their full histories in the profession. We construct measures of their tenure and cumulative experience as well as of recently acquired experience. Hence, by evaluating the contribution of cumulative experience, we assess the value of paramedic retention in performance units. The benefit of greater experience operates both through recent and past experiences. This has important implications for retention: retaining the typical paramedic in our sample for an additional quarter is associated with a reduction in out-of-hospital time of approximately 4 minutes. Moreover, 3 years after replacement of an experienced paramedic by a new one, the loss in out-of-hospital time from turnover is between 1 minute and 90 seconds depending on functional form. Finally, we find evidence that individual experience operates not only on mean performance but also on the upper quantiles of the paramedic performance distribution, which can be interpreted as greater experience leading to better standardization with the severity of trauma.

  • retention Learning by Doing and performance in emergency medical services
    Social Science Research Network, 2007
    Co-Authors: Guy David, Tanguy Brachet
    Abstract:

    While there is considerable evidence in the case of hospitals and surgeons that high volume is associated with better patient outcomes across a variety of medical conditions, to date no study has examined the returns to experience in a pre-hospital setting. Studies of the volume-outcome relation for hospitals and surgeons are plagued by an inherent endogeneity problem; does higher volume raise quality through Learning-by-Doing, or does higher quality command higher volume through selective referrals? Since ambulance units are dispatched based on proximity and not on reputation, the selective referrals channel at the paramedic level is necessarily shut down. Hence, the only remaining channel for the volume-outcome relationship is Learning-by-Doing. This paper studies the effect of human capital accumulation through Learning-by-Doing on performance in the prehospital setting using the universe of trauma-related ambulance runs in Mississippi between 1991 and 2005. In addition, the richness of our data allows us to conduct both individual and firm level analyses, evaluate the contribution of recent versus cumulative experience, study the determinants of firm-level forgetting by separating individual forgetting from labor turnover effects, and the effect of experience on the entire conditional outcome distribution. We find that greater experience is robustly related to improved performance at the trauma scene. However, this benefit operates largely through recent experiences, while the value of more temporally distant experiences depreciates relatively rapidly, suggesting considerable forgetting. For comparability with previous studies, we conduct experiments in which we ignore the paramedic level detail of our data and aggregate volume to the firm level. This understates the benefits of experience, with the estimated firm volume effect being an order of magnitude less than the paramedic-specific effect. One interpretation of this finding is that firm-level volume is a noisy measure of experience. There is also preliminary evidence that individual experience operates not only on mean performance, but also on the upper quantiles of the performance distribution, which can be interpreted as greater experience leading to better standardization with the severity of trauma. As expected, firm level studies, which dominate the literature, focus on firm level interventions by suggesting that large scale effects raise the benefit from consolidation. However, when studying both the individual and the firm, we find relatively small incremental firm scale effects. This suggests that policy and managerial implications regarding human capital accumulation for paramedics should be directed at training, team formation, optimal scale and retention policies as opposed to antitrust and other legislative and regulatory interventions.