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Learning-by-doing, learning-by-exporting, and productivity : evidence from Colombia

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Author Info
Fernandes, Ana M.
Isgut, Alberto E.

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Abstract

The empirical evidence on whether participation in export markets increases plant-level productivity has been inconclusive so far. The authors explain this inconclusiveness by drawing on Arrow's (1962) characterization of learning-by-doing, which suggests focusing on young plants and using measures of export experience rather than export participation. They find strong evidence of learning-by-exporting for young Colombian manufacturing plants between 1981 and 1991: total factor productivity increases 4-5 percent for each additional year a plant has exported, after controlling for the effect of current exports on total factor productivity. Learning-by-exporting is more important for young than for old plants and in industries that deliver a larger percentage of their exports to high-income countries.

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Paper provided by The World Bank in its series Policy Research Working Paper Series with number 3544.

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Date of creation: 01 Mar 2005
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Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:3544

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Keywords: Economic Theory&Research; Environmental Economics&Policies; Banks&Banking Reform; Educational Sciences; Scientific Research&Science Parks;

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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.:
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  25. Arnold, Jens Matthias & Hussinger, Katrin, 2004. "Export Behavior and Firm Productivity in German Manufacturing : A Firm-level Analysis," ZEW Discussion Papers 04-12, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
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  26. J. Bradford Jensen & Robert H. McGuckin & Kevin Stiroh, 2000. "The Impact of Vintage and Survival on Productivity: Evidence from Cohorts of U.S. Manufacturing Plants," Economics Program Working Papers 00-01, The Conference Board, Economics Program. [Downloadable!]
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  27. 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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  28. Sascha O. Becker & Andrea Ichino, 2002. "Estimation of average treatment effects based on propensity scores," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 2(4), pages 358-377, November. [Downloadable!]
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  30. Jan De Loecker, 2004. "Do Exports Generate Higher Productivity? Evidence from Slovenia," LICOS Discussion Papers 15104, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, K.U.Leuven. [Downloadable!]
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  31. Arne Bigsten & Paul Collier & Stefan Dercon & Marcel Fafchamps & Bernard Gauthier & Jan Willem Gunning & Abena Oduro & Remco Oostendorp & Catherine Pattillo & Måns Söderbom & Francis Teal & Alb, 2004. "Do African Manufacturing Firms Learn from Exporting?," The Journal of Development Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 115-141, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  32. Edwin Leuven & Barbara Sianesi, 2003. "PSMATCH2: Stata module to perform full Mahalanobis and propensity score matching, common support graphing, and covariate imbalance testing," Statistical Software Components S432001, Boston College Department of Economics, revised 02 May 2009. [Downloadable!]
  33. Fernandes, Ana M., 2003. "Trade policy, trade volumes, and plant-level productivity in Colombian manufacturing industries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3064, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
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  34. Aw, Bee Yan & Chung, Sukkyun & Roberts, Mark J, 2000. "Productivity and Turnover in the Export Market: Micro-level Evidence from the Republic of Korea and Taiwan (China)," World Bank Economic Review, Oxford University Press, vol. 14(1), pages 65-90, January.
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. Albert Park & Dean Yang & Xinzheng Shi & Yuan Jiang, 2009. "Exporting and Firm Performance: Chinese Exporters and the Asian Financial Crisis," NBER Working Papers 14632, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Kazuhiko Yokota & Akinori Tomohara, 2009. "Extending the Learning-By-Exporting Hypothesis: Introducing a Credit Constraint," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 169-177, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Pedro S. Martins & Yong Yang, 2007. "The Impact of Exporting on Firm Productivity: A Meta-Analysis," Working Papers 6, Queen Mary, University of London, School of Business and Management, Centre for Globalisation Research. [Downloadable!]
  4. Goedhuys, Micheline, 2007. "The impact of innovation activities on productivity and firm growth: evidence from Brazil," UNU-MERIT Working Paper Series 002, United Nations University, Maastricht Economic and social Research and training centre on Innovation and Technology. [Downloadable!]
  5. Jan De Loecker, 2004. "Do Exports Generate Higher Productivity? Evidence from Slovenia," LICOS Discussion Papers 15104, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, K.U.Leuven. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. 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. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Brita Bye, Taran Fæhn, and Leo A. Grünfeld, 2008. "Growth policy in a small, open economy. Domestic innovation and learning from abroad," Discussion Papers 572, Research Department of Statistics Norway. [Downloadable!]
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