The evolution of higher moments of the firm size distribution so far seems to be neglected in the empirical firm growth literature.
Based on GMM estimates, this paper introduces simple Wald tests to investigate whether the firm size distribution converges
in both the second and third central moment. Using a comprehensive sample of Austrian firms, the estimation results indicate
a substantial reduction in both the second and third central moment for the younger age cohorts. This effect is much less
pronounced for older firms. Across age cohorts one observes an increase in variance, while the third central moment tends
to vanish.
Keywords:Growth of firms, market concentration, moments of the firm size distribution, GMM estimation, Wald test
Forschungsbereich:Regionalökonomie und räumliche Analyse – Industrie-, Innovations- und internationale Ökonomie