Determinants of the spatial distribution of exporters in regions: the role of ownership

Spatial distribution of exporters only recently has attracted the attention of researchers, while the location of economic activity as such has been subject of profound analysis for a long time. Regions have become more open and thus vulnerable to external shocks. Nevertheless, the increase in the number of exporters in the population of firms is one of the top priorities of regions’ economic policy agenda, as it improves competitiveness and overall productivity. Literature overview shows an important gap, which is insufficient consideration of the role of ownership, as regards the determinants of the spatial distribution of exporters. The study identifies the differences between the determinants of spatial location of foreign-owned exporters (FOEs) and domestic-owned exporters (DOEs), in particular the role of metropolis, the proximity to infrastructure and the consequences of historical factors and thus the path dependency. The FOEs and DOEs differ in their location preferences. In particular, our results indicate that FOEs pay more attention to proximity to infrastructure and are more susceptible to the presence of agglomeration externalities in the vicinity of metropolitan areas. In addition, historical factors affect the spatial distribution of exporters, especially if the interaction of path dependency and infrastructure endowment is introduced.