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About

I am a university lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Turku. My research interests include macroeconomics, economic growth, and firm dynamics.

My CV

Email: eeanma@utu.fi


Working Papers

Economic Growth through Worker Reallocation: The Role of Knowledge Spillovers

Abstract

I explore the role of knowledge diffusion among producers as a driver of productivity growth. By estimating a reduced form model with Finnish employer-employee data, I find evidence that employing workers from more efficient establishments enhances productivity. To understand the aggregate impact of the finding, I develop an endogenous growth model that incorporates the transmission of knowledge through worker reallocation. The calibrated model reveals that knowledge spillovers can increase aggregate productivity growth by 0.19 percentage points and significantly impact output. Moreover, I establish that this mechanism can exacerbate the adverse impact of firing costs on aggregate outcomes.

Uncertainty, Misallocation and the Life-cycle Growth of Firms

with Oskari Vähämaa

Abstract

We propose a decomposition of static misallocation that distinguishes between idiosyncratic uncertainty and ex ante misallocation generated by tax-like distortions. Using profits-to-wage-bill ratios and value-added-to-wage-bill ratios, we can identify the two sources of misallocation. In the comprehensive Finnish firm-level data, uncertainty accounts for 41% of aggregate misallocation and has a strong decreasing age-dependent trend in it. We show that our results are quantitatively consistent with a life-cycle model of firm growth that incorporates learning. According to the dynamic model, uncertainty suppresses output by 8-12%, while ex ante misallocation has a 40% negative effect on output.

Work in Progress

Earnings Dynamics with On-the-job Learning

with Heikki Kauppi & Timo Virtanen