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Firms in International Trade: Importers and Exporters Heterogeneity in the Italian Manufacturing Industry

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Author Info
Davide Castellani
Francesco Serti
Chiara Tomasi

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Abstract

This paper offers a portrait of Italian firms that trade goods. Combining data on firms' structural characteristics and economic performance with data on their exporting and importing activity, we uncover evidence supporting recent theories on firm heterogeneity and international trade, together with some new facts. In particular, we find that importing can be as important as exporting as a source of firm heterogeneity. First, we document that trade is more concentrated than employment and sales, and we show that import is even more concentrated than export both within sectors and along the sector and country extensive margins. Second, while supporting the fact that firms involved in both importing and exporting (two-way traders) are the best performers, we also find that firms involved only in importing activities perform better than those involved only in exporting. We submit that this may have to do with being mainly importers of high-tech capital goods. Third, the performance premia of internationalized firms correlate relatively more with the degree of geographical and sectoral diversification of imports.

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Paper provided by Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy in its series LEM Papers Series with number 2008/04.

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Date of creation: 28 Mar 2008
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Handle: RePEc:ssa:lemwps:2008/04

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Related research
Keywords: Heterogeneous firms; Exports; Imports;

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. on Exports and Productivity, The International Study Group, 2007. "EXPORTS AND PRODUCTIVITY - comparable evidence for 14 countries," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 110, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Andrew B. Bernard & J. Bradford Jensen & Stephen J. Redding & Peter K. Schott, 2007. "Firms in International Trade," NBER Working Papers 13054, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Isgut, Alberto & Fernandes, Ana, 2007. "Learning-by-Exporting Effects: Are They for Real?," MPRA Paper 3121, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  4. Alessandra Tucci, 2005. "Trade, Foreign Networks and Performance: a Firm-Level Analysis for India," Development Working Papers 199, Centro Studi Luca d\'Agliano, University of Milano. [Downloadable!]
  5. Davide Castellani & Antonello Zanfei, 2007. "Internationalisation, Innovation and Productivity: How Do Firms Differ in Italy?," The World Economy, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 30(1), pages 156-176, 01. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Eaton, Jonathan & Kortum, Samuel, 2001. "Trade in capital goods," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(7), pages 1195-1235. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Andrew B. Bernard & Jonathan Eaton & J. Bradford Jensen & Samuel Kortum, 2003. "Plants and Productivity in International Trade," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(4), pages 1268-1290, September. [Downloadable!]
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  11. Johannes Van Biesebroeck, 2003. "Exporting Raises Productivity in Sub-Saharan African Manufacturing Plants," NBER Working Papers 10020, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  14. Megan MacGarvie, 2006. "Do Firms Learn from International Trade?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 88(1), pages 46-60, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  18. Sofronis Clerides & Saul Lach & James Tybout, 1996. "Is "Learning-by-Exporting" Important? Micro-Dynamic Evidence from Colombia, Mexico and Morocco," NBER Working Papers 5715, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  19. Hummels, David & Ishii, Jun & Yi, Kei-Mu, 2001. "The nature and growth of vertical specialization in world trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 75-96, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  20. Sourafel Girma & Richard Kneller & Mauro Pisu, 2005. "Exports versus FDI: An Empirical Test," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer, vol. 141(2), pages 193-218, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  21. Wolfgang Keller, 2004. "International Technology Diffusion," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 42(3), pages 752-782, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  22. Acharya, Ram C. & Keller, Wolfgang, 2007. "Technology Transfer through Imports," CEPR Discussion Papers 6296, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  23. Ethier, Wilfred J, 1982. "National and International Returns to Scale in the Modern Theory of International Trade," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 72(3), pages 389-405, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  28. Castaldi, Carolina & Milakovic, Mishael & Secchi, Angelo, 2006. "Scale and technological factors in the diversification structure of business firms," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 117-121, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  30. 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, K.U.Leuven. [Downloadable!]
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. 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. [Downloadable!]
  2. Rosario Crinò & Paolo Epifani, 2009. "Export Intensity and Productivity," Development Working Papers 271, Centro Studi Luca d\'Agliano, University of Milano. [Downloadable!]
  3. Gábor Békés & Péter Harasztosi & Balázs Muraközy, 2009. "Firms and Products in International Trade: Data and Patterns for Hungary," CeFiG Technical Papers 1, Center for Firms in the Global Economy, revised 12 Oct 2009. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Lööf, Hans & Andersson, Martin, 2008. "Imports, Productivity and the Origin Markets -the role of knowledge-intensive economies," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 146, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies. [Downloadable!]
  5. 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. [Downloadable!]
  6. Gabor Békés & Carlo Altomonte, 2009. "Trade Complexity and Productivity," Working Papers 2009.62, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Vogel, Alexander & Wagner, Joachim, 2008. "Higher Productivity in Importing German Manufacturing Firms: Self-Selection, Learning from Importing, or Both?," IZA Discussion Papers 3854, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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