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Product relatedness and firm exports in China

Author

Listed:
  • Sandra Poncet

    (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Felipe Starosta de Waldemar

    (RITM - Réseaux Innovation Territoires et Mondialisation - UP11 - Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11)

Abstract

We propose the first evaluation using micro-level data of the gains from the consistency of activities with a local comparative advantage. Using firm-level data from Chinese customs over the 2000-6 period, we investigate the relationship between the export performance of firms and how their products relate to local comparative advantage. Our key indicator measures the density of the links between a product and the local product space. Hence, it combines information on the intrinsic relatedness of a good with information on the local pattern of specialization. Our results indicate that exports grow faster for goods that have denser links with those currently produced in the firm's locality. The density of links between products seems to yield export-enhancing spillovers. However, we show that this positive effect of product relatedness on export performance is mainly limited to ordinary trade activities and domestic firms. It is also stronger for more productive firms, suggesting that spillover diffusion may be hindered by insufficient absorptive capacity.

Suggested Citation

  • Sandra Poncet & Felipe Starosta de Waldemar, 2014. "Product relatedness and firm exports in China," PSE - Labex "OSE-Ouvrir la Science Economique" hal-01044982, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:pseose:hal-01044982
    DOI: 10.1093/wber/lht037
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-01044982
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Françoise Lemoine & Grégoire Mayo & Sandra Poncet & Deniz Ünal, 2014. "The Geographic Pattern of China's Growth and Convergence within Industry," Working Papers 2014-04, CEPII research center.
    2. Chen, Zhao & Poncet, Sandra & Xiong, Ruixiang, 2017. "Inter-industry relatedness and industrial-policy efficiency: Evidence from China’s export processing zones," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 809-826.
    3. Zhou, Ying & Fan, Zhaobin & Anwar, Sajid, 2023. "Birthplace diversity of immigrants, capabilities and export structure transformation," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    4. Yu, Ziliang & Tong, Jiadong, 2020. "Financing benefit from exporting: An indirect identification approach," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 57.
    5. Alexandra Tsvetkova & Tessa Conroy & Jean-Claude Thill, 2020. "Surviving in a high-tech manufacturing industry: the role of innovative environment and proximity to metropolitan industrial portfolio," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 501-527, June.
    6. Flora Bellone & Cilem Selin Hazir & Toshiyuki Matsuura, 2020. "Adjusting to China competition: Evidence from Japanese plant-product-level data," Working Papers hal-03086387, HAL.
    7. Alessia Lo Turco & Daniela Maggioni, 2017. "Local Discoveries and Technological Relatedness: the Role of Foreign Firms," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1710, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Jun 2017.
    8. Cilem Selin Hazir & Flora Bellone & Cyrielle Gaglio, 2019. "Local product space and firm-level churning in exported products," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 28(6), pages 1473-1496.
    9. Nicola Daniele Coniglio & Raffaele Lagravinese & Davide Vurchio, 2016. "Production sophisticatedness and growth: evidence from Italian provinces before and during the crisis, 1997–2013," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 9(2), pages 423-442.
    10. Desmarchelier, Benoît & Regis, Paulo José & Salike, Nimesh, 2018. "Product space and the development of nations: A model of product diversification," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 34-51.
    11. Cyrielle Gaglio, 2015. "Measuring Country Competitiveness: A Survey of Exporting-based Indexes," GREDEG Working Papers 2015-42, Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France.
    12. Hidalgo, César A., 2023. "The policy implications of economic complexity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(9).
    13. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/1f59r6ssre9eiqb2rso9ui50m2 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Julien Gourdon & Laura Hering & Stéphanie Monjon & Sandra Poncet, 2022. "Estimating the Repercussions from China’s Export VAT Rebate Policy," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) hal-03274542, HAL.
    15. Alessia Lo Turco & Daniela Maggioni, 2016. "On firms’ product space evolution: the role of firm and local product relatedness," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 16(5), pages 975-1006.
    16. Lemoine, Françoise & Poncet, Sandra & Ünal, Deniz, 2015. "Spatial rebalancing and industrial convergence in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 39-63.
    17. C'esar A. Hidalgo, 2022. "The Policy Implications of Economic Complexity," Papers 2205.02164, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2023.
    18. Ben Saad, Myriam & Brahim, Mariem & Schaffar, Alexandra & Guesmi, Khaled & Ben Saad, Rym, 2023. "Economic complexity, diversification and economic development: The strategic factors," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    19. Partridge, Mark D. & Tsvetkova, Alexandra, 2018. "Local ability to "rewire" and socioeconomic performance: Evidence from US counties before and after the Great Recession," MPRA Paper 89313, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Julien Gourdon & Laura Hering & Stéphanie Monjon & Sandra Poncet, 2019. "Trade policy repercussions: the role of local product space -Evidence from China," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-02065779, HAL.
    21. Ron Boschma, 2017. "Relatedness as driver behind regional diversification: a research agenda," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1702, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Jan 2017.
    22. Jung, Kyu-Chul, 2016. "The Interaction between China, Japan, and Korea in the Export Market," KDI Journal of Economic Policy, Korea Development Institute (KDI), vol. 38(2), pages 45-62.
    23. Shengjun Zhu & Canfei He & Qian Luo, 2019. "Good neighbors, bad neighbors: local knowledge spillovers, regional institutions and firm performance in China," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(3), pages 617-632, March.
    24. Yu, Zhuangxiong & Cheng, Jiajia & Mukhopadhaya, Pundarik & Dong, Jiemiao, 2023. "Do information spillovers across products aggravate product market monopoly? An examination with Chinese data," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Chinese firms; Chinese customs; China; Export flux;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
    • O53 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Asia including Middle East

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