Endogenous Rigidities and Capital Misallocation: Evidence from Containerships
Working Paper 35821
DOI 10.3386/w35821
Issue Date
We investigate how endogenous rigidities inhibit physical capital reallocation. We focus on the role of contract duration - a classic example of an adjustment rigidity. We argue that when agents sign longer contracts in booms when markets are thin, they generate a contracting externality which further amplifies thinness and impedes the adjustment of markets to shocks. We develop a dynamic spatial framework with booms and busts where agents search and choose match duration. Applying the framework to the containership leasing market, we find substantial misallocation from endogenous rigidities, particularly in the transition after a crash.
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Copy CitationMaria Garcia-Osipenko, Nicholas Vreugdenhil, and Nahim B. Zahur, "Endogenous Rigidities and Capital Misallocation: Evidence from Containerships," NBER Working Paper 35821 (2026), https://doi.org/10.3386/w35821.Download Citation