IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/azm/journl/v4y2025i1p53-70.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Mediating Role of Firm Growth and TFP Growth in Export Quality-Trade Flows Nexus Evidence from Pakistani Firms

Author

Listed:
  • Sumaira Saeed

    (International Islamic University Islamabad)

  • Arshad Ali Bhati

    (International Islamic University Islamabad)

  • Mairajul Haq

    (International Islamic University Islamabad)

Abstract

In today's interconnected global economy, product quality emerges as a critical determinant of international trade flows, directly aligning with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) decided to highlight worldwide inequalities (income and poverty). This study investigates the complex connection between export product quality and trade flows, specifically examining two key mediating factors: firm growth and total factor productivity growth. Using a Seemingly Unrelated Regression Model (SUR), data from non-financial firms listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange over 21 years (1999-2020) is analyzed. The findings of this study explored that both firm growth and total factor productivity growth serve as significant mediators in the product quality-export flows, operating through both direct and indirect channels. This research contributes to understanding how firm-level factors influence the quality-trade relationship, providing insights for both policy development and corporate strategy in international trade. The results suggest that enhancing product quality, combined with firm growth and productivity improvements, can strengthen export performance and contribute to achieving sustainable development objectives.

Suggested Citation

  • Sumaira Saeed & Arshad Ali Bhati & Mairajul Haq, 2025. "The Mediating Role of Firm Growth and TFP Growth in Export Quality-Trade Flows Nexus Evidence from Pakistani Firms," Journal of Economic Sciences, Federal Urdu University Islamabad, Department of Economics, vol. 4(1), pages 53-70, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:azm:journl:v:4:y:2025:i:1:p:53-70
    DOI: 10.55603/jes.v4i1.a4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://jesciences.com/index.php/jes/article/view/106
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.55603/jes.v4i1.a4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dunne, Timothy & Roberts, Mark J & Samuelson, Larry, 1989. "Firm Entry and Postentry Performance in the U.S. Chemical Industries," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 32(2), pages 233-271, October.
    2. Richard Baldwin & Paul Krugman, 1989. "Persistent Trade Effects of Large Exchange Rate Shocks," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 104(4), pages 635-654.
    3. Wadho, Waqar & Chaudhry, Azam, 2018. "Innovation and firm performance in developing countries: The case of Pakistani textile and apparel manufacturers," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(7), pages 1283-1294.
    4. Saira Qasim & Marian Rizov & Xufei Zhang, 2021. "Financial constraints and the export decision of Pakistani firms," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(3), pages 4557-4573, July.
    5. 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.
    6. Andrei A. Levchenko, 2007. "Institutional Quality and International Trade," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 74(3), pages 791-819.
    7. Omer Siddique, 2022. "Total Factor Productivity and Economic Growth in Pakistan: A Five-Decade Overview (Article)," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 61(4), pages 683-601.
    8. Eric A. Verhoogen, 2008. "Trade, Quality Upgrading, and Wage Inequality in the Mexican Manufacturing Sector," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 123(2), pages 489-530.
    9. Fan, Haichao & Lai, Edwin L.-C. & Li, Yao Amber, 2015. "Credit constraints, quality, and export prices: Theory and evidence from China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 390-416.
    10. Liaqat Ali & Naveed Akhtar, 2024. "The Effectiveness of Export, FDI, Human Capital, and R&D on Total Factor Productivity Growth: the Case of Pakistan," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 3085-3099, March.
    11. Rosario Crinò & Paolo Epifani, 2012. "Productivity, Quality and Export Behaviour," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 122(565), pages 1206-1243, December.
    12. Manova, Kalina & Yu, Zhihong, 2017. "Multi-product firms and product quality," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 116-137.
    13. Chen, Natalie & Juvenal, Luciana, 2016. "Quality, trade, and exchange rate pass-through," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 61-80.
    14. Hallak, Juan Carlos, 2006. "Product quality and the direction of trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 238-265, January.
    15. Babina, Tania & Fedyk, Anastassia & He, Alex & Hodson, James, 2024. "Artificial intelligence, firm growth, and product innovation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    16. Alcalá, Francisco, 2016. "Specialization across goods and export quality," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 216-232.
    17. Lei Wang & Xianhai Huang & Qianyun Sun, 2024. "Do export demand shocks affect the export quality of multi‐product firms? Evidence from China," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3), pages 1071-1103, August.
    18. Franz Haider & Robert Kunst & Franz Wirl, 2021. "Total factor productivity, its components and drivers," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 48(2), pages 283-327, May.
    19. Takehiko Yasuda, 2005. "Firm Growth, Size, Age and Behavior in Japanese Manufacturing," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 1-15, December.
    20. Ferro, Esteban & Otsuki, Tsunehiro & Wilson, John S., 2015. "The effect of product standards on agricultural exports," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 68-79.
    21. Antoniades, Alexis, 2015. "Heterogeneous Firms, Quality, and Trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(2), pages 263-273.
    22. Khoula Maryam & Zainab Jehan, 2018. "Total Factor Productivity Convergence in Developing Countries: Role of Technology Diffusion," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 86(2), pages 247-262, June.
    23. Sheng, Liugang & Yang, Dennis Tao, 2016. "Expanding export variety: The role of institutional reforms in developing countries," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 45-58.
    24. J. Daniel Kim & Joonkyu Choi & Nathan Goldschlag & John Haltiwanger, 2024. "High-Growth Firms in the United States: Key Trends and New Data Opportunities," Working Papers 24-11, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    25. Hamna Ahmed & Naved Hamid, 2011. "Financing Constraints: Determinants and Implications for Firm Growth in Pakistan," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 16(Special E), pages 317-346, September.
    26. Rajan, Raghuram G. & Zingales, Luigi, 2003. "The great reversals: the politics of financial development in the twentieth century," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 5-50, July.
    27. Piergiuseppe Morone & Giuseppina Testa, 2008. "Firms Growth, Size And Innovation An Investigation Into The Italian Manufacturing Sector," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 311-329.
    28. Becchetti, Leonardo & Trovato, Giovanni, 2002. "The Determinants of Growth for Small and Medium Sized Firms: The Role of the Availability of External Finance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 291-306, December.
    29. Fulton, Murray & Karp, Larry, 1989. "Estimating the objectives of a public firm in a natural resource industry," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 268-287, May.
    30. Elhanan Helpman & Marc J. Melitz & Stephen R. Yeaple, 2004. "Export Versus FDI with Heterogeneous Firms," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(1), pages 300-316, March.
    31. Pitelis, Christos (ed.), 2002. "The Growth of the Firm: The Legacy of Edith Penrose," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199248520.
    32. Alassane D. Yeo & Aimin Deng, 2019. "The trade policy effect in international trade: case of Pakistan," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 8(1), pages 1-17, December.
    33. Curzi, Daniele & Olper, Alessandro, 2012. "Export behavior of Italian food firms: Does product quality matter?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 493-503.
    34. Jan Fałkowski & Daniele Curzi & Alessandro Olper, 2019. "Contracting Institutions, Agro‐food Trade and Product Quality," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(3), pages 749-770, September.
    35. Hummera Saleem & Malik Shahzad & Muhammad Bilal Khan & Bashir Ahmad Khilji, 2019. "Innovation, total factor productivity and economic growth in Pakistan: a policy perspective," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 8(1), pages 1-18, December.
    36. Rakesh Gupta & Ajay Pandit, 2013. "Innovation and growth of small and medium enterprises: role of environmental dynamism and firm resources as moderating variables," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 17(4/5/6), pages 284-295.
    37. David B. Audretsch & Dirk Dohse, 2007. "Location: A Neglected Determinant of Firm Growth," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 143(1), pages 79-107, April.
    38. Olivier Cadot & Julien Gourdon & Frank van Tongeren, 2018. "Estimating Ad Valorem Equivalents of Non-Tariff Measures: Combining Price-Based and Quantity-Based Approaches," OECD Trade Policy Papers 215, OECD Publishing.
    39. Muhammad Usman & Gulnaz Hameed & Abdul Saboor & Lal K. Almas & Muhammad Hanif, 2021. "R&D Innovation Adoption, Climatic Sensitivity, and Absorptive Ability Contribution for Agriculture TFP Growth in Pakistan," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, November.
    40. Zaira Adnan & Mamta Chowdhury & Girijasankar Mallik, 2020. "Determinants of total factor productivity in Pakistan: a time series analysis using ARDL approach," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(6), pages 807-820, November.
    41. Zhang, Hongsheng & Liu, Qingqing & Wei, Yueling, 2023. "Digital product imports and export product quality: Firm-level evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    42. David Hummels & Peter J. Klenow, 2005. "The Variety and Quality of a Nation's Exports," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(3), pages 704-723, June.
    43. Sumaira Saeed & Miraj ul Haq & Arshad Ali Bhatti, 2024. "The Role of Moderators on Product Quality and Export Flows: The Case of Pakistan," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 6(1), pages 27-36.
    44. Paul M. Romer, 1994. "The Origins of Endogenous Growth," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 3-22, Winter.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sumaira Saeed & Miraj ul Haq & Arshad Ali Bhatti, 2024. "The Role of Moderators on Product Quality and Export Flows: The Case of Pakistan," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 6(1), pages 27-36.
    2. Bastos, Paulo & Silva, Joana, 2010. "The quality of a firm's exports: Where you export to matters," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(2), pages 99-111, November.
    3. Crinò, Rosario & Ogliari, Laura, 2017. "Financial imperfections, product quality, and international trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 63-84.
    4. Anne‐Célia Disdier & Carl Gaigné & Cristina Herghelegiu, 2023. "Do standards improve the quality of traded products?," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 56(4), pages 1238-1290, November.
    5. Chen, Natalie & Juvenal, Luciana, 2018. "Quality and the Great Trade Collapse," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 59-76.
    6. Brambilla, Irene & Porto, Guido G., 2016. "High-income export destinations, quality and wages," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 21-35.
    7. Gideon Ndubuisi & Solomon Owusu, 2022. "Trust, Efficient Contracting and Export Upgrading," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(6), pages 2708-2729, December.
    8. Lashkaripour, Ahmad, 2020. "Discrete trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    9. Chen, Natalie & Juvenal, Luciana, 2016. "Quality, trade, and exchange rate pass-through," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 61-80.
    10. Choi, ByeongHwa, 2023. "The impact of financial development on innovation-based exports: Do all firms benefit equally?," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 81-100.
    11. Chen, Natalie & Juvenal, Luciana, 2022. "Markups, quality, and trade costs," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    12. Alessandra Bonfiglioli & Rosario Crinò & Gino Gancia, 2021. "International Trade with Heterogeneous Firms: Theory and Evidence," CESifo Working Paper Series 9423, CESifo.
    13. Matthieu Crozet & Keith Head & Thierry Mayer, 2012. "Quality Sorting and Trade: Firm-level Evidence for French Wine," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 79(2), pages 609-644.
    14. Crinò, Rosario & Ogliari, Laura, 2015. "Financial Frictions, Product Quality, and International Trade," CEPR Discussion Papers 10555, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    15. Freitag, Andreas & Lein, Sarah M., 2023. "Endogenous product adjustment and exchange rate pass-through," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    16. Francesco Guerra, 2024. "Export quality and wage premium," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 160(3), pages 843-871, August.
    17. Ciani, Andrea & Bartoli, Francesca, 2015. "Export quality upgrading under credit constraints," DICE Discussion Papers 191, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).
    18. Sofia Anyfantaki & Sarantis Kalyvitis & Margarita Katsimi & Eirini Thomaidou, 2018. "Export pricing at the firm level with panel data," Working Papers 241, Bank of Greece.
    19. Curzi, Daniele & Pacca, Lucia, 2015. "Price, quality and trade costs in the food sector," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 147-158.
    20. Meng, Ning & Milner, Chris & Song, Huasheng, 2020. "Antidumping and heterogeneous quality adjustment of multi-product firms: Evidence from Chinese exporters," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 147-161.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F60 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:azm:journl:v:4:y:2025:i:1:p:53-70. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Ihtsham Ul Haq (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.fuuastisb.edu.pk/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.