Does agglomeration promote internationalization of Chinese firms?

Knowledge spillover from the agglomeration of exporters can reduce the initial costs of exporting faced by other firms and thereby facilitate exports. We use a large dataset of Chinese manufacturing firms to assess whether industrial agglomeration lowers the minimum productivity level required for exporting and whether it increases a firm's probability of exporting. Semi-parametric quantile regressions reveal that the productivity advantage of exporters against non-exporters is markedly smaller in agglomerated regions. Furthermore, a parametric estimation of an export entry model indicates that the agglomeration of incumbent exporters contributes significantly to export participation, although its magnitude is limited. These spillover effects are generated not only by the agglomeration of exporting foreign invested firms (FIFs), but also, more importantly, by that of indigenous Chinese exporters. In fact, the agglomeration of exporting FIFs only contributes to the export entry of FIFs.     

Exporting,R&D investment and firm survival in the Indian IT sector

This paper examines the effect of exporting and R&D investment on firm survival for a panel of Indian IT firms. We show that exporting has competing effects on firm survival. On the one hand, exporting and investing in productivity are complementary activities, while, on the other, exporting activity is an additional source of uncertainty for the firm. We show that both effects influence survival, but operate at different points in time. Specifically, the hazard facing exporters is higher than non-exporters in the initial phase following entry into the export market, reflecting the fact that exporters are particularly vulnerable to shocks in the start-up phase. However, over time, exporters benefit more from productivity gains than non-exporters and the hazard facing exporters falls below that confronting non-exporters.     

Firm-level interactions between exporting and productivity: Industry-specific evidence

This paper investigates interactions between exporting and productivity at the firm level, using a panel of firms in the UK chemical industry. This is both highly technology intensive and the UK’s largest exporting sector. We find exporters are more productive than non-exporters, but are also on average smaller. This superior productivity performance among exporters appears to be caused by both self-selection and learning-by-exporting effects. In contrast to other studies, we find learning effects are significantly positive among new entrants, weaker for more experienced exporters and negative for established exporters. JEL no. F14, D21, L65     

Firm-level interactions between exporting and productivity: Industry-specific evidence

This paper investigates interactions between exporting and productivity at the firm level, using a panel of firms in the UK chemical industry. This is both highly technology intensive and the UK’s largest exporting sector. We find exporters are more productive than non-exporters, but are also on average smaller. This superior productivity performance among exporters appears to be caused by both self-selection and learning-by-exporting effects. In contrast to other studies, we find learning effects are significantly positive among new entrants, weaker for more experienced exporters and negative for established exporters. JEL no. F14, D21, L65     

Is Exporting a Source of Productivity Spillovers?

This paper investigates whether exporting generates positive productivity spillover effects on other plants in the same industry and on plants in vertically related industries. Using data for Chilean manufacturing plants from 1990 to 1999, we find strong evidence that domestic as well as foreign-owned exporting plants improve productivity of local suppliers. We also find some evidence of horizontal spillovers from exporting but these are mainly generated by plants with foreign ownership. These results suggest that positive productivity spillovers are not only generated by the presence of foreign-owned exporting plants but also by exporting activity of domestic firms. The results are robust to controls for agglomeration of economic activity, the importance of non-exporting foreign-owned plants, and plant unobserved heterogeneity. JEL no.  F10, F23, O3, O54     

Understanding Cross-Country Differences in Exporter Premia: Comparable Evidence for 14 Countries

We use comparable micro level panel data for 14 countries and a set of identically specified empirical models to investigate the relationship between exports and productivity. Our overall results are in line with the big picture that is by now familiar from the literature: exporters are more productive than non-exporters when observed and unobserved heterogeneity is controlled for, and these exporter productivity premia tend to increase with the share of exports in total sales; there is evidence in favour of self-selection of more productive firms into export markets, but nearly no evidence in favour of the learning-by-exporting hypothesis. We document that the exporter premia differ considerably across countries in identically specified empirical models. In a meta-analysis of our results we find, consistent with theoretical predictions, that productivity premia are larger in countries with lower export participation rates, with more restrictive trade policies, lower per capita GDP, less effective government and worse regulatory quality, and in countries exporting to relatively more distant markets. JEL no.  F14, D21     

Exports and Productivity Growth: First Evidence from a Continuous Treatment Approach

A recent survey of 54 micro-econometric studies reveals that exporting firms are more productive than non-exporters. However, previous empirical studies show that exporting does not necessarily improve productivity. One possible reason for this result is that most previous studies are restricted to analysing the relationship between a firm’s export status and the growth of its labour productivity, using the firms’ export status as a binary treatment variable and comparing the performance of exporting and non-exporting firms. In this paper, we apply the newly developed generalised propensity score (GPS) methodology that allows for continuous treatment, that is, different levels of the firms’ export activities. Using the GPS method and a large panel data set for German manufacturing firms, we estimate the relationship between a firm’s export-sales ratio and its labour productivity growth rate. We find that there is a causal effect of firms’ export activities on labour productivity growth. However, exporting improves labour productivity growth only within a sub-interval of the range of firms’ export-sales ratios. JEL no.  F14, F23, L60     

Exporting May Not Always Boost Firm Productivity

A large empirical literature suggests the performance characteristics of firms that export are different from firms that do not. Specifically, exporters tend to be larger, more productive and pay higher wages than non-exporters. This paper reports on an econometric analysis of the characteristics of exporters and non-exporters in Swedish manufacturing industry. We use matching and difference-in-differences analysis to investigate a panel data set on a large number of firms and spanning almost 20 years. Some of our results echo those reported elsewhere. However, in contrast to the findings for every other country analysed so far, we find that the performance characteristics of exporters and non-exporters are remarkably similar. In particular, we find no evidence of pre- or post-entry differences in firm level productivity. This is a striking outcome, probably driven by the extremely high openness of the Swedish economy. JEL no. F14     

Learning-by-Exporting: Continuous Productivity Improvements or Capacity Utilization Effects? Evidence from Slovenian Firms

Following along the lines of a growing literature on the causal link between exporting and productivity, this paper analyzes the existence of “learning-by-exporting” using firm-level data for Slovenian manufacturing enterprises between 1994 and 2002. We fail to find conclusive evidence of learning-by-exporting. By matching new exporting firms to “sufficiently” similar non-exporters and using the difference-in-differences method on the matched pairs it is revealed that productivity improvements, although present, are far from permanent and tend to dissipate shortly after initial entry. Confronting the data on factor accumulation with TFP measures indicates that the perceived learning effects may in fact only be a consequence of increased capacity utilization brought about by the opening of an additional market. JEL no. D24, F12, F14     

South African Exporters and the Global Crisis: Intensive Margin Shock,Extensive Margin Hangover

This paper examines how changes at the intensive (established exporters exporting existing products to established markets) and the extensive (new exporters, products or markets) margins contribute to South African export growth and how this was affected by the global financial crisis. We find that the intensive margin is the more important contributor to export growth, contributing more than three quarters of observed growth. The intensive margin contracted significantly during the global financial crisis of 2009 but bounced back to pre‐crisis levels quickly. However, the impacts on the extensive margin persisted after the crisis with lower levels of entry of firms, new products and new destinations. The short‐term impact of the crisis was mitigated by the concentration of South African exports among larger, more productive super‐exporters. However, the fall in entry of new firms, products and destinations as a result of the crisis may mean that this concentration persists, and, at least over the next few years, South Africa does not diversify and broaden its exports.     

Industry Differences in the Effect of Export Market Entry: Learning by Exporting?

An extensive evidence base affirms the importance of sunk costs and firm heterogeneity to exporting. Only higher productivity firms can profitably cover sunk costs and enter export markets. This is the standard explanation for the regularity with which econometric analyses report that exporters are more productive than non-exporters. But what happens to their productivity trajectory once they have entered? Some theory points to the possibility of a further productivity boost, attributable to the effects of learning and competition. We investigate whether this is because the potential for a post-entry boost depends upon how exposed to competition the firm is. We find that industry differences are an important marker for determining whether learning effects boost productivity after export market entry.     

Exports and success in German manufacturing

Exports and Success in German Manufacturing. - While Germany has a very open, export-oriented manufacturing sector, there has been little research on the role of exporting in German firms’ performance. This paper documents the significant differences between exporters and non-exporters and attempts to identify the sources of these disparities. Exporters are much larger, more capital-intensive, and more productive than non-exporters. However, the bulk of the evidence suggests that these performance characteristics predate the entry into export markets. The authors find no positive effects on employment, wage or productivity growth after entry. The authors’ results provide evidence that success leads to exporting rather than the reverse.     

Self-Selection and Post-Entry Effects of Exports: Evidence from Italian Manufacturing Firms

Our paper adds empirical evidence on the causal effects of exporting on firms’ performances. Using a rich database on Italian manufacturing firms, we test the self-selection and the post-entry effects hypotheses with respect to various firms’ characteristics. Our analysis supports the idea that the superior performance of the exporters is due not only to a market selection mechanism, but also to efficiency improvements following the export activity. We find heterogeneous post-entry effects with respect to characteristics as geographical location, size and sector. To test the post-entry hypothesis we implement the propensity score matching and differences-in-differences techniques. JEL no.  D24, F14, O31     

The heterogeneous effect of international outsourcing on firm productivity

This paper analyses how international outsourcing affects plant total factor productivity (TFP) using a census of Irish manufacturing firms. The results point to a striking pattern: the status of being or becoming an outsourcer matters strongly for firms that are indigenous and not exporting, while for exporters and foreign affiliates, TFP increases are lower, insignificant and sometimes negative. On the other hand, higher intensity of outsourcing matters for both exporters and foreign affiliates. The message is clear: international outsourcing’s initial learning effect on TFP is most pronounced when it serves as a first exposure to international markets, while the “scale effect” of outsourcing en masse only occurs to larger, already internationalised firms.     

Export behavior and productivity growth: Evidence from Italian manufacturing firms

Export Behavior and Productivity Growth: Evidence from Italian Manufacturing Firms. — This paper provides econometric evidence supporting the hypothesis that exporting implies learning effects. Learning-by-exporting is modeled as a change, induced by export behavior, in the stochastic process governing firms’ productivity. Empirically, this is implemented by specifying cross-section regressions of labor productivity growth on measures of export behavior, controlling for past productivity growth and other firms’ characteristics. Using a sample of Italian manufacturing firms, it is found that exporters do not exhibit faster productivity growth. Nevertheless, growth in value added per worker has a positive and significant relation with firms’ export intensity. In other words, only firms substantially involved in exporting have a significantly higher rate of productivity growth. This result suggests that learning-by-exporting is by no means simply the outcome of the presence in the export market.     

Export Behavior and Firm Productivity in German Manufacturing: A Firm-Level Analysis

This paper examines the causal relationship between productivity and exporting in German manufacturing. We find a causal link from high productivity to presence in foreign markets, as postulated by a recent literature on international trade with heterogeneous firms. We apply a matching technique in order to analyze whether the presence in international markets enables firms to achieve further productivity improvements, without finding significant evidence for this. We conclude that high-productivity firms self-select themselves into export markets, while exporting itself does not play a significant role for the productivity of German firms. JEL no. F10, F13, F14, D21, L60     

Exporting and Productivity in the USA

Exporting is often touted as a way to increase economic growth.This paper examines the interaction between exporting and productivitygrowth in US manufacturing. While exporting plants have substantiallyhigher productivity levels, there is no evidence that exportingincreases plant productivity growth rates. The higher productivityof exporters largely predates their entry into exporting. However,within the same industry, exporters do grow faster than non-exportersin terms of both shipments and employment. Exporting is associatedwith the reallocation of resources from less efficient to moreefficient plants. In the aggregate, these reallocation effectsare quite large, making up over 40 per cent of total factorproductivity growth in the manufacturing sector. Half of thisreallocation to more productive plants occurs within industriesand the direction of the reallocation is towards exporting plants.     

Export Spillovers to Chinese Firms: Evidence from Provincial Data

Multinational firms are important conduits of managerial skills, foreign market linkages, and technology. Foreign export spillovers associated with multinational firms have the potential to reduce entry costs for local exporting firms. This paper examines whether exports by multinational firms increase the probability of exporting by domestic Chinese firms. The findings from the Probit estimation highlight the varying relationships between multinational exports and local foreign entry based on the type of ownership. The results from separating foreign-invested enterprises into overseas Chinese companies and OECD-based multinational firms suggest that the export activity of the former does not increase the probability of exporting by local firms, whereas the latter positively influence the export decision of local firms, particularly under processing trade.