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Does It Pay to Be Active on Many Foreign Markets? Profitability in German Multi-Market Exporters and Importers from Manufacturing Industries

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  • Wagner Joachim

    (Department of Economics, Leuphana Universitat Luneburg, Luneburg, Germany)

Abstract

This paper provides the first empirical evidence on the link between the number of foreign markets (where a market is defined as the combination of one traded good and one country traded with) a firm is active on and its profitability. We find that in German manufacturing industries the profitability of a firm is neither positively nor negatively related to the number of foreign markets. The extra costs associated with being active on more foreign markets tend to be balanced by the extra benefits. Therefore, we have evidence that it does not pay to be active on many foreign markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Wagner Joachim, 2019. "Does It Pay to Be Active on Many Foreign Markets? Profitability in German Multi-Market Exporters and Importers from Manufacturing Industries," Review of Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 70(1), pages 1-13, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:lus:reveco:v:70:y:2019:i:1:p:1-13:n:3
    DOI: 10.1515/roe-2018-0013
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Joachim Wagner, 2016. "A survey of empirical studies using transaction level data on exports and imports," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 152(1), pages 215-225, February.
    2. Joachim Wagner, 2011. "Exports and Firm Characteristics in Germany: New Evidence from Representative Panel Data," Applied Economics Quarterly (formerly: Konjunkturpolitik), Duncker & Humblot, Berlin, vol. 57(2), pages 107-143.
    3. Joachim Wagner, 2016. "Exports, Imports and Profitability: First Evidence for Manufacturing Enterprises," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Microeconometrics of International Trade, chapter 9, pages 311-338, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
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    5. Wagner Joachim, 2018. "Active on Many Foreign Markets: A Portrait of German Multi-market Exporters and Importers from Manufacturing Industries," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 238(2), pages 157-182, April.
    6. Schmalensee, Richard, 1989. "Inter-industry studies of structure and performance," Handbook of Industrial Organization, in: R. Schmalensee & R. Willig (ed.), Handbook of Industrial Organization, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 16, pages 951-1009, Elsevier.
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    Cited by:

    1. Joachim Wagner, 2019. "Effect of international activity on firm performance," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 1-47, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    exports; imports; number of foreign markets; profitability; Germany;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade

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