Coupled vs. decoupled subsidies with heterogeneous firms in general equilibrium

We develop a competitive general equilibrium model with heterogeneous firms and endogenous entry and exit to contrast the effects of coupled and decoupled subsidies. Unlike coupled subsidies, decoupled subsidies are not tied to a producer's level of output, so they are thought to be less distortive. We challenge this view by proving that, in a model with endogenous TFP, coupled subsidies have no effect on TFP while decoupled subsidies have a negative effect. Moreover, our numerical experiments show that, for a given level of government expenditure, decoupled subsidies can lower welfare more than coupled subsidies.