Agglomeration and the export decisions of French firms

This paper asks whether export spillovers influence the export behavior of French manufacturers. I use a database containing export flows by firm and importing country between 1986 and 1992. The decision to start exporting to a particular country is estimated using a logit model, controlling for the specific characteristics of firms, locations, countries and years. The export spillovers identified are industry- and/or destination-specific, and are computed at a very disaggregated geographical level. The results indicate that the pool of local exporters positively affects the decision to start exporting to a country. These effects are clearly destination-specific, and are larger for firms that export to remote markets.     

Explaining Firms’ Export Behaviour: R&D,Spillovers and the Destination Market*

We examine the importance of a firm's own R&D activity and intra‐sectoral spillovers on the decision to export and the export intensity using firm level panel data for Spain for the period 1990–98. Own R&D activity is found to be an important determinant of export activity. There is little evidence to suggest that Spanish firms benefit from spillovers of the exporting activity of others. However, there is evidence that R&D spillovers exert positive effects on firms’ export ratios. We find a larger marginal impact of R&D spillovers on export intensity of firms exporting to other OECD countries than those exporting to non‐OECD nations.     

Foreign Direct Investment Strategies and Firms' Capabilities

This paper presents a simple model to analyze the effect of geographically localized spillovers on the internationalization decision of firms. It is shown that, once spatially bounded externalities are taken into account, the standard predictions on the nature and direction of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows may be reversed. We highlight three effects. First, an FDI-en-hancing effect: the presence of spillovers increases the profitability of the FDI strategy when the competitive gap between firms is narrow. Second, a dissipation effect: firms may refrain from investing abroad for fear of diffusion of their firm-specific assets. Third, a sourcing effect: the presence of spillovers may induce a firm to invest abroad, even in the absence of exporting costs.     

Export discoveries, diversification and barriers to entry

The literature on the relationship between economic diversification and development established that diversification rises with development up to a point. Some have argued that market failures reduce private investments that are necessary to find out whether a new product can be exported profitably, thus implying that the threat of entry can reduce export discoveries and consequently hamper diversification. In parallel, the trade literature on the “extensive margin” of trade has focused on the role of fixed costs of exporting, which affects the number and types of firms that enter into exporting activities. This article presents data suggesting that export diversification and export discoveries are correlated over the course of development, and it provides an empirical test of market failures that might deter export discoveries. The findings suggest that the threat of entry by imitators reduces the number of export discoveries within countries and industries for a given rate of growth of non-discovery exports. However, this market-failure effect is less pronounced when allowing for inter-industry spillovers, whereby export discoveries in one industry lead to discoveries in another industry. The policy implication is that barriers to entry should not be used to protect innovators from the threat of imitation, but governments could consider interventions that directly focus on stimulating export discoveries.     

Exporting firms and retail internationalization: Evidence from France

This paper questions the impact of the globalization of the retail sector on the export activity of origin country agri‐food firms. We use an original firm‐level database of French agri‐food exports that identifies the domestic suppliers of French retailers through certification with the private International Featured Standard (IFS). The results show that IFS certified French firms are more likely to export and export larger volumes than noncertified firms to markets where French retailers have established outlets. We also show that when French retailers stop their activities in a market, certified firms reduce their exports to this market in the following years. The results are robust to the use of different sets of firm‐year‐ and country‐year‐specific controls and fixed effects, and are not affected by possible selection and endogeneity biases. The difference in the behavior of certified and noncertified exporting firms on markets where French retailers operate confirms the network effect that benefits retailers’ suppliers, which is lost when French retailers exit from the destination country.     

Liquidity constrained exporters

I propose a model of international trade with liquidity constraints. If firms must pay a fixed entry cost in order to access foreign markets, and if they face liquidity constraints to finance these costs, only those firms that have sufficient liquidity are able to export. A set of firms could profitably export, but are prevented from doing so because they lack sufficient liquidity. More productive firms that generate large liquidity from their domestic sales, and wealthier firms that inherit a large amount of liquidity, are more likely to export. This model offers a potential explanation for the apparent lack of sensitivity of exports to exchange rate fluctuations. When the exchange rate appreciates, existing exporters lose competitiveness abroad, and are forced to reduce their exports. At the same time, the value of domestic assets owned by potential exporters increases. Some liquidity constrained exporters start exporting. This dampens the anti-competitiveness impact of a currency appreciation. Under some conditions, it may reverse it altogether and increase aggregate exports. In this sense, the model is able to rationalize the co-existence of competitive devaluations and competitive revaluations.     

Do Firms Increase Productivity in Order to Become Exporters?*

Recent studies find that exporters are more productive than non‐exporters and that entry into exporting does not increase firms’ productivity. Thus, firms self‐select into foreign markets. This paper examines productivity before entry into exporting. Using Chilean plant‐level data, we find that productivity and investment increase before plants begin to export. Moreover, productivity of entrants to exporting, but not that of non‐exporters and exporters, increases in response to increases in foreign income, before entry but not after that. The results suggest that the productivity advantage of future exporters may be the result of firms increasing their productivity in order to export.     

The diffusion of exporting in Brazilian industrial clusters

The present research aimed at understanding the process by which firms in a cluster start to export based on systemic interactions, and the process of diffusion of exporting as a business strategy within the cluster. Diffusion was defined, following Rogers’ (1995: 5) seminal work, as ‘the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system’. The research method used was industry case studies and the unit of analysis selected was the cluster. Two manufacturing industries were chosen to be investigated, and within each geographic area clusters were identified as the origin of dynamic export growth in the industry. Players in each industrial cluster, as well as other significant actors, were interviewed. Extensive secondary data research was done to study clusters’ historical development. Detailed analysis and a comparison of the experiences permitted the extraction of some general conclusions concerning the similarities and differences between the clusters in terms of the adoption and diffusion of exporting. Results showed that the diffusion of exporting in an industrial cluster is quite similar to the dissemination of technical innovation. Social ties were important to facilitate the diffusion of exporting in one of the clusters studied. Also, the role of domestically-owned flagship firms in leading the internationalization process proved to be important in only one of the clusters, while the role of external actors was fully supported in the two industries studied. Finally, a number of support institutions, private and public, interfered in different stages of the internationalization process. In both industries, the federal government had only a late and limited impact on export initiation and development.     

MNEs,technological efforts and channels of export spillover: An analysis of Indian manufacturing industries

The present study provides some empirical evidence for the export spillover effect examining the case of an emerging market economy, namely India, using firm level data for the period 1994–2006. We disentangle different spillover channels, namely the demonstration effect, the imitation effect (R&D spillover) and a proxy to measure spillover effects coming from higher MNEs’ skills. We also account for the heterogeneous technological behaviour of local firms considering how in-house R&D efforts and disembodied technological imports may affect the exporting performance. Our findings show how export spillover effects are mainly mediated by an imitation effect, contrary to the case of other emerging market economies like China, where a demonstration effect is evident. We also recognise that both the decision to export and export intensity are influenced most of all by the technological activities of local firms. Moreover, the findings of the analysis suggest that in-house R&D is more relevant than other external sources of technological knowledge such as disembodied technology imports to internalise the positive spillover effect emanating from MNEs.     

Trade and Growth: Reconciling the Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Evidence

Abstract.  Many empirical studies based on plant-level data have found that firms that enter the export markets are more productive than non-exporters and that this difference in productivity is achieved before firms become involved in exporting. These findings have challenged the traditional view that openness to trade increases productivity and economic growth. This article reconsiders the literature on trade, growth, and trade policies and argues that a careful examination of these new findings is consistent with the idea that exporting increases productivity and economic growth.     

The Role of Export Market Participation in the Choice of Organizational Form of Production Technology*

This paper shows that the reason for a higher capital–labour ratio, observed for exporting firms, is a higher capital intensity of their production technology. Exporters choose to use different organizational forms of their production process, in which the share of capital and intermediate inputs in the final output is higher than that of non‐exporters. The organization of the production process is part of the firm's organizational strategy, which generates within‐industry heterogeneity in factor intensities and production technologies. The results of this study indicate that the decision to export is preceded by a process of restructuring production technology, which then has the effect of increasing a firms’ productivity and in so doing prepares them for competition in the global market.     

A micro-econometric analysis of the role of R&D spillovers using a nonlinear translog specification

This paper assesses the impact of Research and Development (R&D) spillovers on production for a panel of 1,203 Italian manufacturing firms over the period 1998–2003.The estimations are based on a nonlinear translog production function augmented by a measure of R&D spillovers which combines the geographical distance between firms, the technological similarity within each pair of firms and the technical efficiency of each firm. The estimation method takes into account the endogeneity of regressors and the potential sample selection issue regarding the decision by firms to invest in R&D. Results show that the translog production function is more suitable than the Cobb-Douglas for modelling firm behaviour and that returns to scale are increasing. Moreover, the internal and external stocks of technology exert a significant impact on firms’ production. Finally, it emerges that, for Italian manufacturing firms, R&D capital and R&D spillovers are highly substitutes.     

Multinational Corporations and Spillovers

This paper examines spillover effects of the activities of multinational firms. Such effects are most likely to be found in host countries, where the operations of foreign multinationals may influence local firms in the MNCs own industry as well as firms in other industries. However, there is no comprehensive evidence on the exact nature or magnitude of these effects, although it is suggested that host country spillovers vary systematically between countries and industries. In particular, the positive effects of foreign investment are likely to increase with the level of local capability and competition. The spillovers to the home countries of MNCs are often more difficult to identify, for various reasons. Earlier studies suggest that the effects are generally positive, but the increasing international division of labor within multinationals complicates the analysis. The impact on the home country is likely to depend on what activities these firms concentrate at home.     

Will export taxes replace VERs?

Some economists use an export tax, which alters the domestic relative price of exports, to model a voluntary export restraint, which is a restriction on the quantity of exports with restriction-induced rents accruing to the exporting country. Implicit in this approach is the presumption that the two policies are equivalent. In a very general model that allows for a finite number of goods and factors and intermediated goods and joint production, we demonstrate that, in general, this is, in fact, not the case. Specifically, from the exporting country’s perspective, the real income effects of the two policies are nonequivalent.     

Cultural Diversity and Export Growth in the U. K.

Abstract

This study provides comparative empirical evidence concerning the motives for exporting of Asian and indigenous¹(white)-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the U.K. Findings are primarily based on a large scale sample of U.K. firms and Factor Analysis together with MANOVA are employed to establish whether statistical differences exist between the groups of firms in relation to their motives for undertaking export activities. Also reported, are selected findings from a series of in-depth interviews. This investigation provides a contribution to the literature since it questions whether current export assistance and targeting procedures are suitable for addressing the export stimuli perceived as important by managers from different sub-cultures.     

Identifying the impact of geographical proximity on spillover effect of FDI: The evidence from Indian local firms’ performance gains

This paper investigates the role of geographical proximity on FDI spillovers from foreign to Indian local firms. We use data set of the manufacturing firms between 1988 and 2018 in India, estimating the productivity based on Cobb–Douglas production function. For measuring geographical proximity, the coordinates of each firm, represented to as ‘latitude and longitude’, provided by Google maps geocoding API is used. To conduct spatial analysis, we adopted the revised ‘SINM’ (Spatial Industrial Network Model)’ with GMM estimator, and used firm based point spatial unit. The analysis, in particular, reveals that within 30 km–70 km distance the presence of FDI creates significant positive backward and negative horizontal spillovers, but gradually decaying as threshold increases. Meanwhile, the negative horizontal spillovers to Indian local firms located within industrial clusters turned to positive, and the positive backward spillovers more magnifies compared to non-clustered firms. Based on these findings, we suggested the several policy implications regarding the development of industrial cluster, FDI promotion policy, and location decision for foreign investors.     

To lead or to wait? An application to internationalization strategies under demand uncertainty

We examine the exports versus foreign direct investment (FDI) decision under demand uncertainty for an asymmetric cost duopoly. One of the firms can lead entry before demand realization or retain flexibility enjoying an informational advantage. When the time value of information is small and for sufficiently low investment costs, follow‐the‐leader behavior in FDI arises. Relatively high investment (fixed) costs result in follow‐the‐leader exporting behavior. When the time value of information becomes significant, the potential leader will opt for a wait‐and‐see strategy. For intermediate values of investment costs, the efficient firm invests, while the rival chooses to export.     

ORGANIZATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPORT ACTIVITY

Can various organizational and manager characteristics be empirically related to the level of export activity in the firm? This article attempts to provide an answer to this question using data obtained from a mail-survey of exporting firms. A comprehensive review of the literature is presented first, in order to identify the relevant organizational characteristics hypothesized to be related to export activity. Then, a set of ten characteristics are statistically related to level of export activity (percent of sales exported) using Multiple Classification Analysis and Automatic Interaction Detector technique. The multiple classification analysis reveals five significant correlates of export activity. The automatic interaction detector analysis produced seven distinct exporter types ranging from least active to most active exporter, as well as generating some insights into the nature of interactions among the correlates of export activity. Implications of the findings for public policy, management, and education are discussed last in the article.     

Technology sourcing and outward FDI: A study of IT industry in India

Dunning’s eclectic or the OLI framework suggests that MNCs exist and grow due to possession of ownership (O) advantages consisting of the tangible and intangible assets of the firm (including technology); location (L) advantages consisting of production factors such as transportation, infrastructure, and human and natural resources available in the host country; and internalisation (I) advantages owing to firm’s competitive advantage in producing internally rather than selling or licensing technologies to others. There are several studies that have analysed MNCs of developed country origin from the perspective of both developed (home) and other developed or developing (host) countries. Recently, however, MNCs from developing countries are also making their presence felt in the world. Yet, there are hardly any studies that analyse MNCs of developing country origin.Using data on 130 firms from the high-tech Information Technology (IT) industry of India, we investigate whether ownership advantages (O), as proposed in the eclectic theory, holds true for the presence of MNCs from developing countries. Specifically, we analyse whether firm-specific technological advantages generated through differential technology sourcing at home (India) are important in determining inter-firm differences in the decision to invest abroad. The technological sources considered are in-house R&D efforts, import of designs, drawing and blueprints, and import of capital goods. The study reveals that in-house R&D efforts are indeed important for the firms to invest abroad. Size and export intensity of the firm also influence the decision of the firm to invest abroad. The study recommends a proper innovation and resource management strategy for developing country firms for efficient allocation of resources, technology sourcing, and technology assimilation.     

External Trade and Internal Geography: Local Export Spillovers by Industry Characteristics and Firm Size

Abstract

Exporting firms in a region may reduce export entry costs for other local firms either through market or non-market interactions. This paper tests this proposition by analyzing whether the probability of exporting among Swedish firms is positively associated with the local presence of exporters in their region and industry. Our results support this conjecture, while also providing some support for such export spillovers being more important in contract-intensive industries and small firms. The results for different industries and size-classes of firms are also sensitive to whether we focus on firms’ export status or restrict the sample to export starters.

RÉSUMÉ Les firmes exportatrices dans une certaine région pourront réduire les coûts d'entrée à l'exportation pour d'autres entreprises locales, par le biais d'interactions commerciales ou non commerciales. La présente communication soumet cette proposition à des tests en analysant si la probabilité d'exportation parmi des sociétés suédoises est en rapport positif avec la présence locale d'exportateurs dans leur région et dans l'industrie. Nos résultats soutiennent cette conjecture, tout en apportant un certain soutien pour l'importance majeure de cette diffusion des exportations dans des secteurs intensifs sur le plan des contrats et des petites entreprises. Les résultats pour différents secteurs ou entreprises classées sur le plan de leur envergure sont néanmoins sensibles au plan sur lequel nous plaçons notre recherche, à savoir le statut export des entreprises ou la limitation de l’échantillon aux nouvelles entreprises exportatrices.

EXTRACTO Las empresas exportadoras de una región pueden reducir los costes de entrada de exportaciones para otras empresas locales, a través de interacciones de mercado o que no sean de mercado. El estudio pone a prueba esta proposición analizando si la probabilidad de exportación entre empresas suecas se asocia positivamente con la presencia local de exportadores en su región e industria. Nuestros resultados apoyan esta conjetura, mientras que también proporcionan cierto apoyo para la idea de que dichos spillovers de exportación son más importantes en industrias de contratos intensivos y empresas pequeñas. Los resultados para diferentes empresas y clases de tamaños de empresas son, no obstante, sensibles a si nos centramos en el estado de exportación de las empresas o si restringimos la muestra a empresas nuevas en exportación.

外部贸易和内部地理—行业性质和公司规模对本地出口的影响

摘要 : 一个地区的出口公司可能会通过市场或非市场途径降低其他本地公司的出口报关成本。本文通过分析瑞典公司的出口概率是否与其所在地域和行业的出口商正相关来验证这一假设。结果证实了这一假设 , 同时也证明 , 这种出口影响对合同密集型产业和小公司更为重要。但是 , 行业不同 , 公司规模不同 , 其结果会受到对公司出口状况关注与否以及对出口商样本数目的限制的影响。