Cloud computing enables a shift in the costs of ICT adoption from investment in fixed capital to pay-on-demand services allowing firms to scale and reorganize. Using new firm-level data we examine the impact of cloud on firm growth, using zip-code-level instruments of the timing of high-speed fiber availability and speeds. Cloud leads to the growth of employment and revenue for young firms, but they become concentrated in fewer establishments. For incumbents, we find smaller scale effects but dispersed activity through closing establishments and moving employment farther from the headquarters. Moreover, cloud adoption leads to worker relocation across establishments within firms.
Download the paper in PDF format
This is a new version of 2019/09
Timothy DeStefano, Richard Kneller and Jonathan Timmis
View all GEP discussion papers | View all School of Economics featured discussion papers
Sir Clive Granger BuildingUniversity of NottinghamUniversity Park Nottingham, NG7 2RD
Enquiries: hilary.hughes@nottingham.ac.uk