Identification of Star Firms and Decoding Investment in Intangibles Evidence from the Indian Manufacturing Industry

Abstract

The star firms phenomenon, focusing on the changing structure of investment dynamism in Indian manufacturing industries, is explored. Analysing firm-level information from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy Prowess database for 2000 to 2023, this study investigates the emergence of star (superstar) firms and presents a comparative analysis highlighting intangible expenditure and intangible assets. We find that star firms are intangible-intensive relative to non-star peers and such investment in intangibles increases the likelihood of transforming a firm into a star. So, a regulatory framework is suggested that encourages investment in intangibles to leverage scale advantage and enhance performance. © 2026, Economic and Political Weekly. All rights reserved.