Firm-level export performance in an inward-looking economy: The Indian engineering industry

This paper investigates some influences on export activity by the 100 largest engineering enterprises in India in the period 1966–1968 to 1976–1978. Among the interesting findings are that exporting is negatively correlated with profitability and technological activity, but that there are some major exporters who find exporting increasingly profitable and relate their R and D activity more to exporting over time. In general the findings illustrate at a disaggregated level the anti-export bias of the industrialization strategy pursued by India.