The Asian Drivers and SSA: Is There a Future for Export‐oriented African Industrialisation?

(1253) Raphael Kaplinsky and Mike Morris Export‐oriented industrialisation is the orthodoxy and is widely indicated as a development path for sub‐Saharan Africa. In recent years there has been a surge of clothing exports from a limited number of SSA economies to the US. In 2006 these exports accounted for more than half of SSA’s manufactured exports (excluding South Africa). However, the ending of quota controls on Chinese clothing exports to the US led to a significant fall in these exports. Is this a harbinger for the future of export‐oriented industrialisation in SSA in a world of a level trading playing field?     

Are US Exports Different from China’s Exports? Evidence from Japan’s Imports

Are US exports different from China’s exports? If so, how? This article attempts to answer this question, using product‐level manufacturing import data from Japan. To make the comparison clear, this article also examines exports from the EU. The results indicate that more than 85 per cent and 83 per cent of products exported by the US and the EU, respectively, to Japan are also commonly exported from China. Both the US and the EU export products are priced higher than China’s export products, regardless of industries. This result suggests that quality differences matter in explaining the high overlap of China’s export products with US and EU export products. In some industries, however, the price differences of US and EU exports relative to China’s exports are relatively small. This result implies that either Chinese firms are upgrading the quality of their products, or US and EU firms are improving their efficiencies such that they can compete with Chinese firms.     

An Empirical Examination of Export Variety: Regional Heterogeneity within a Nation

Recognising that similar goods are produced in different subregions within a country, we offer new evidence of variety expansion in a nation’s exports. We divide Japanese national exports into 41 prefectural subregions with over 7,000 product categories and construct subregional export margins for the years between 1988 and 2005. First, we find strong evidence of regional heterogeneity in terms of export product coverage, and the export variety of most regions expands in our sample period. Second, we find that the extensive margin accounts for over 60 per cent of the increase in exports of larger subregions, similar to the findings in the international cross‐country study. These findings imply that accounting for export variety in terms of new exports from subregions within a country strengthens the contribution of extensive margin in the growth of exports.     

国际贸易出口限制的分析研究

目前许多发展中国家在国际贸易中纷纷采取限制出口的措施。被限制出口的产品主要是资源性产品,由于金属类矿物产品的重要地位,限制金属类矿物产品出口受到广泛关注。各国使用出口限制有自己的理由,出口限制对经济和贸易有一定的影响,于是在多边贸易体制中存在着对出口限制的制约,这也成为解决因出口限制引发贸易摩擦的依据,我国如何利用好国际贸易规则已成为一个急迫解决的问题。     

Is export promotion effective in developing countries? Firm-level evidence on the intensive and the extensive margins of exports

How effective are export promotion activities in developing countries? What are the channels through which export promotion affects firms' exports, the intensive margin or the extensive margin? Empirical evidence in this respect is scarce. We aim at filling this gap in the literature by providing evidence on the impact of export promotion on export performance using a unique firm-level dataset for Peru over the period 2001-2005. We find that export promotion actions are associated with increased exports, primarily along the extensive margin, both in terms of markets and products. This result is robust across alternative specifications and estimation methods.     

Examining determinants of export performance in small open economies

Maintaining the standard of living in small open economies requires engaging in international exchange. We report the results of a study that was conducted in Austria and refer to certain of the dramatic changes taking place in Europe. The objective is to examine decision-makers’ experiences in managing companies in a small open economy on several factors impacting export performance. Analyzing the effects of multiple determinants on different export performance measures, our findings reveal that in addition to firm size, the most promising predictors of export performance are management’s motives to internationalize and the use of a differentiation strategy. These findings are important because the latter two dimensions are management decision variables. The results of the study are relevant for managers operating in small open economies whose companies must consider both domestic and international developments.     

Determinants of Export Performance in East and Southeast Asia

This paper examines the determinants of exports in eight East and Southeast Asian economies, with an emphasis on the increasing importance of parts and components in total exports. To see whether exports in parts and components are ‘special’ and to allow comparisons, export equations are estimated for three different export categories: total merchandise exports, manufacturing exports and exports of machinery and transport equipment (SITC 7). The analysis is based on data for 1993–2008, a period over which parts and components trade burgeoned. The estimations indicate that the growing importance in the export composition of parts and components within vertically integrated cross‐border production processes has tended to weaken the nexus of real exchange rate and export performance. World demand and supply‐side factors, including foreign direct investment, tend to become more crucial in determining export performance.     

A Note on the Firm Size – Export Relationship

The positive relationship between firm size and direct exports is often considered as a stylized fact. Numerous econometric investigations back theoretical considerations by showing that a ceteris paribus positive relationship between firm size and direct export activities exists. This note contributes to the literature by closely looking at an econometric modelling issues that has largely been neglected hitherto. Various approaches used in the literature to model the exports/sales ratio, which is a percentage variable with usually many observations at the lower limit, are discussed. It is argued that all these methods are seriously flawed, and an alternative approach is suggested that is applied using data from a large comprehensive recent survey of German manufacturing establishments. Furthermore, the relation between firm size and exports is examined in four selected industries to test whether the importance of economies of scale and transaction cost efficiencies vary considerably between industries.     

Marketing and distribution systems

Economic growth of LDCs depends decisively on the volume of foreign currency avaliable to them. Apart from financial aid, such currencies can only be earned by exports. However, almost 90 p.c. of all export revenue of LDCs flows from shipments of raw and base materials, and thus, increasing these earnings will always be the main point of departure for any trade policy which does not aim at changing the structure of a given country’s exports.     

Export product range and economic growth in the EU countries

We analyse the number of different HS8 products in the EU countries’ exports in 1995–2015. We review what share, or coverage, of the total possible number of these products the countries have exported each year. The EU15 countries have typically witnessed a slow rise in this coverage rate, that is, a widening of their extensive margins. The exception is Finland where the share has declined considerably. On the other hand, Ireland, Greece, Portugal and the new member countries have seen a dramatic increase in their export product coverage. We analyse how the development in the coverage rate and, as a comparison, the diversification of exports as measured by the Herfindahl–Hirschman index are associated with GDP per capita growth. We find that changes in the former measure are positively associated with economic growth after we have controlled for GDP per capita catching‐up as well as investment and export activity. We also find that smaller EU economies do not specialise more than large ones in their exports as could perhaps be assumed.     

Does the US EXIM Bank really promote US exports?

This paper investigates the impact of US Export‐Import Bank (EXIM ) on US exports particularly in the wake of international competition from foreign national export credit agencies (ECA s). We employ a gravity framework on a country‐industry‐year‐level panel data set that matches EXIM authorisations with US bilateral exports. Our results depict the general ineffectiveness of the Bank in promoting exports within and across industries. Some heterogeneities behind the general finding are also uncovered: industries other than aerospace parts and products are more likely to benefit from EXIM authorisations, and EXIM authorisations to larger businesses seem to be more effective in encouraging exports. Furthermore, we find no evidence that EXIM encourages US exports by offsetting foreign ECA competition. These results are neither affected by competing countries’ membership to the OECD Arrangement nor by the size of American firms that received EXIM support. Our results cast doubt on the ubiquitously positive claims made by the Bank and its supporters, yet also provide policy lessons for countries that are either in the inception stages of establishing their own ECA s or are now placing greater importance on ECA financing in encouraging exports.     

Marketing cost differentials,economics of scale,and the competitiveness of small-country producers

The paper examines the effect of marketing cost differentials on the ability of small countries to compete with large-country producers in goods manufactured under economies of scale. It is shown that the mere presence of scale economies does not necessarily retard the performance of small-country producers unless export marketing costs exceed domestic marketing costs. When economies of scale and positive differences between export and domestic marketing costs are simultaneously present, small countries with potentially more efficient producers may be unable to export to large countries served by less efficient local producers. Furthermore, the latter may end up exporting to the former. The policy implications is that subsidization of exports in conjunction with restrictions on domestic prices enhances national welfare.     

Drivers of Export Demand: A Focus on the GIIPS Countries

This study investigates the drivers of export demand in the peripheral economies of the Euro Area, namely Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain (GIIPS), for the period between 1980 and 2012. Recently, several authors have pointed out that changes in trade export shares are not associated with major terms of trade disturbances; rather, they are the result of other underlying factors commonly defined as ‘non‐price competitiveness’. Starting from this premise, the study extends the traditional imperfect substitute trade model to include a measure of non‐price competitiveness: real capital stock. The latter is a measure of a country's total resource base and captures the presence of product differentiation and product innovation. The results show a significant link between export demand and cumulative investments. In the short‐term, GIIPS exports are dominated by the movements of worldwide real income, while changes in price and non‐competitiveness take longer to affect export performance. In the long‐run, all three variables play a significant role in pushing exports.     

What drives the export performance of small and medium-sized subcontracting firms? A study of Korean manufacturers

Building on the resource-based view and network theory, we propose and test a framework of export antecedents of subcontracting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Whereas the internationalization of firms has been extensively studied in general, little is known about what drives the exports of subcontracting SMEs which play a very important role in the manufacturing sectors of East Asian economies. These subcontracting firms operate under very different conditions from other companies, resulting in specific ways they leverage their resources, capabilities and customer networks. An analysis of survey data from 1733 subcontracting SMEs in three South Korean manufacturing industries reveals that the firms’ export orientation and export intensity are related not only to their technological resources and their executives’ managerial capabilities, but also to features of their subcontracting network ties. Our study suggests that due to the specific nature of their business, subcontracting firms’ internationalization antecedents need to be analyzed in the context of their business environment which is strongly shaped by their customer relationships.     

Distance from core competences and new export survival: Evidence from multi‐product exporters

We study the determinants of the survival of new export products of multi‐product firms. We use micro‐level data from Chile to estimate linear fixed‐effects and non‐linear survival models to show that a measure of “distance” between a firm's new export and its previous export basket is a negative and significant determinant of the survival of the new export, especially during its first year. Our interpretation of this finding is that exports further away from firms’ core competences have lower chances of survival in exports since it is more difficult for firms to achieve competitiveness in them. Our results suggest that country‐level diversification, at least through existing firms, should be gradual.     

出口退税政策的节能减排效应研究

调整出口退税已成为遏制高能耗、高排放产品出口的重要措施,研究首先从理论上分析了出口退税的节能减排效应,提出下调出口退税率,将降低单位产值能耗成本的假设,接下来又通过我国钢铁行业出口能源强度与出口退税率的协整分析来实证验证,结果表明:出口额能耗与出口退税率间存在长期协整关系,且出口退税率是出口额能耗变化的格兰杰原因;出口退税率调整对出口额能耗影响的长期弹性为0.47,短期弹性为0.07,即出口退税率的变化对出口额能耗的影响在短期内不明显,但具有长期深远的影响;变结构协整分析还表明,差别退税政策下,当退税率下调时,出口退税率变化对出口额能耗的影响更大。     

2011年中国外贸200强

尽管外需仍然疲软,但2011年中国进出口总值仍然创下新高,进出口200强的上榜门槛也"水涨船高"。加工贸易企业的不断内迁使得2011年中国外贸版图发生了巨大改变,中西部地区将成为     

重点行业 零部件制造：价格阵痛

使产品向高端、核心部分转型,树立品牌,提升价格,是未来中国零部件厂商国际化战略的重要一环。伴随着近10年来中国机械制造行业的快速增长,零部件制造产业也获得了蓬勃发展。     

Spillover Effects from Inward FDI on the Exporting Decisions of Chilean Manufacturing Plants

We study the presence of spillover effects on three exporting decisions (likelihood, quantity, propensity) of Chilean manufacturing firms during the period 2001–2004. Evidence suggests that Chilean firm’s export likelihood is positively affected by other domestic firms’ exports. In contrast, exports by MNEs operating in Chile negatively affect Chilean firm’s export likelihood, although MNE-employment generates positive spillover effects, suggesting externalities in human capital. We also find evidence of spillovers from MNE activity on the proportion of production the firm exports (export propensity), but not on how much they decide to export (export quantity).