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Exports and Productivity ?Comparable Evidence for 14 Countries

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  • Joachim Wagner

Abstract

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 are controlled for, and these exporter productivity premia tend to increase with the share of exports in total sales; there is strong 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 that countries that are more open and have more effective government report higher productivity premia. However, the level of development per se does not appear to be an explanation for the observed cross-country differences.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven in its series LICOS Discussion Papers with number 19207.

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Date of creation: 2007
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Handle: RePEc:lic:licosd:19207

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Keywords: Exports; productivity; micro data; international comparison;

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References

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  1. Van Biesebroeck, Johannes, 2008. "The Sensitivity of Productivity Estimates," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 26, pages 311-328.
  2. Bernard, Andrew B. & Bradford Jensen, J., 1999. "Exceptional exporter performance: cause, effect, or both?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 1-25, February.
  3. Andrew Bernard & Joachim Wagner, 1997. "Exports and success in German manufacturing," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer, vol. 133(1), pages 134-157, March.
  4. Melitz, Marc J, 2002. "The Impact of Trade on Intra-Industry Reallocations and Aggregate Industry Productivity," CEPR Discussion Papers 3381, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  5. repec:rus:hseeco:122439 is not listed on IDEAS
  6. Wagner, Joachim, 2005. "Exports and Productivity : A survey of the evidence from firm level data," HWWA Discussion Papers 319, Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWA).
  7. Lucia Foster & John Haltiwanger & Chad Syverson, 2005. "Reallocation, Firm Turnover, and Efficiency: Selection on Productivity or Profitability?," Working Papers 05-11, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
  8. David Greenaway & Richard Kneller, 2007. "Firm heterogeneity, exporting and foreign direct investment," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 117(517), pages F134-F161, 02.
  9. Alla Lileeva & Daniel Trefler, 2007. "Improved Access to Foreign Markets Raises Plant-Level Productivity ... for Some Plants," NBER Working Papers 13297, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  10. Joze P. Damijan & Saso Polanec & Janez Prasnikar, 2004. "Self-selection, Export Market Heterogeneity and Productivity Improvements: Firm Level Evidence from Slovenia," LICOS Discussion Papers 14804, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven.
  11. Jan De Loecker, 2004. "Do Exports Generate Higher Productivity? Evidence from Slovenia," LICOS Discussion Papers 15104, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven.
  12. Isgut, Alberto & Fernandes, Ana, 2007. "Learning-by-Exporting Effects: Are They for Real?," MPRA Paper 3121, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  13. Mary Hallward-Driemeier & Giuseppe Iarossi & Kenneth L. Sokoloff, 2002. "Exports and Manufacturing Productivity in East Asia: A Comparative Analysis with Firm-Level Data," NBER Working Papers 8894, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  14. Jože P. Damijan & Črt Kostevc, 2006. "Learning-by-Exporting: Continuous Productivity Improvements or Capacity Utilization Effects? Evidence from Slovenian Firms," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer, vol. 142(3), pages 599-614, October.
  15. Gorg, Holger & Strobl, Eric, 2001. "Multinational Companies and Productivity Spillovers: A Meta-analysis," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 111(475), pages F723-39, November.
  16. Francesco Serti & Chiara Tomasi, 2008. "Self-Selection and Post-Entry Effects of Exports: Evidence from Italian Manufacturing Firms," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer, vol. 144(4), pages 660-694, December.
  17. Ricardo A. López, 2005. "Trade and Growth: Reconciling the Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Evidence," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(4), pages 623-648, 09.
  18. Van Biesebroeck, Johannes, 2005. "Exporting raises productivity in sub-Saharan African manufacturing firms," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 373-391, December.
  19. Andrew B. Bernard, 2004. "Exporting and Productivity in the USA," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 20(3), pages 343-357, Autumn.
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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Pedro Martins & Yong Yang, 2009. "The impact of exporting on firm productivity: a meta-analysis of the learning-by-exporting hypothesis," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer, vol. 145(3), pages 431-445, October.
  2. Francesco Serti & Chiara Tomasi, 2008. "Firm Heterogeneity: do destinations of exports and origins of imports matter?," LEM Papers Series 2008/14, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
  3. Wagner, Joachim & Van Biesebroeck, Johannes, 2008. "Understanding cross-country differences in export premia - Comparable evidence for 14 countries," Open Access publications from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven urn:hdl:123456789/199893, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.
  4. Roberto Álvarez & Álvaro García, 2008. "Productivity, Innovation and Exportations in the Chilean Manufacturing Industry," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 476, Central Bank of Chile.
  5. Kostevc, Crt & Damijan, Jože, 2008. "Causal Link between Exporting and Innovation Activity. Evidence from Slovenian Firms," Papers DYNREG22, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
  6. Michele Imbruno, 2008. "EXPORTING, PRODUCTIVITY AND MARKET INTEGRATON: Italian manufacturing firms within the European context," Quaderni DSEMS 22-2008, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche, Matematiche e Statistiche, Universita' di Foggia.
  7. Schank, Thorsten & Schnabel, Claus & Wagner, Joachim, 2008. "Higher wages in exporting firms: self-selection, export effect, or both? First evidence from German linked employer-employee data," Discussion Papers 55, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Chair of Labour and Regional Economics.
  8. Joachim Wagner, 2008. "Exports, Imports, and Productivity at the Firm Level. An International Perspective: Introduction by Guest Editor," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer, vol. 144(4), pages 591-595, December.
  9. Davide Castellani & Francesco Serti & Chiara Tomasi, 2008. "Firms in International Trade: Importers and Exporters Heterogeneity in the Italian Manufacturing Industry," LEM Papers Series 2008/04, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
  10. Harold Creusen & Arjan Lejour, 2011. "Uncertainty and the export decisions of Dutch firms," FIW Working Paper series 069, FIW.
  11. Saleh S. Tabrizy & Natalia Trofimenko, 2010. "Scope for Export-Led Growth in a Large Emerging Economy: Is India Learning by Exporting?," Kiel Working Papers 1633, Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
  12. Francesco Serti & Chiara Tomasi, 2009. "Self-selection along different export and import markets," LEM Papers Series 2009/18, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
  13. Julian P. Christ & Patricia Hofmann, 2010. "International Openness and Patent Activity: First Descriptive Results Very preliminary draft," DEGIT Conference Papers c015_055, DEGIT, Dynamics, Economic Growth, and International Trade.
  14. Francesco Serti & Chiara Tomasi & Antonello Zanfei, 2009. "The links between internationalization, skills and wages. The role of differences across firms and across partner countries," LEM Papers Series 2009/19, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
  15. Michele Imbruno, 2008. "INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND FIRM PRODUCTIVITY WITHIN THE ITALIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR: Self-Selection or Learning-by-Exporting?," Quaderni DSEMS 21-2008, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche, Matematiche e Statistiche, Universita' di Foggia.
  16. Joze P. Damijan & Crt Kostevc & Saso Polanec, 2008. "From innovation to exporting or vice versa? Causal link between innovation activity and exporting in Slovenian microdata," LICOS Discussion Papers 20408, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven.

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