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The South African manufacturing exporter story

Author

Listed:
  • Marianne Matthee
  • Neil Rankin
  • Tasha Naughtin
  • Carli Bezuidenhout

Abstract

Existing South African work on firm-level data has been limited by access to large datasets that track firms over time. This paper overcomes this by analysing a new dataset of the population of manufacturing firms that are matched to their export transactions. South African firm-level exporting is similar to the stylized facts of firm-level exporting found internationally. Moreover, heterogeneity that exists within exporting is evident. Not only do exporters differ in terms of the amount exported, but also in terms of the number of products and destinations they export too.

Suggested Citation

  • Marianne Matthee & Neil Rankin & Tasha Naughtin & Carli Bezuidenhout, 2016. "The South African manufacturing exporter story," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2016-38, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
  • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2016-38
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    File URL: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/wp2016-38.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Carli Bezuidenhout & Marianne Matthee & Neil Rankin, 2021. "Exporting and the wage premium: The case of South African manufacturing firms," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(4), pages 2031-2051, November.

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