Understanding Cross-Country Differences in Exporter Premia: Comparable Evidence for 14 Countries

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschungbegutachtet

Authors

  • Leonhard Pertl
  • Stefano Schiavo
  • Mirabelle Muuls
  • Mauro Pisu
  • Roberto Alvarez
  • Patricio Jaramillo
  • Ricardo A. Lopez
  • Johannes Van Biesebroeck
  • Loren Brandt
  • Yifan Zhang
  • Ana M. Fernandes
  • Alberto Isgut
  • Rasmus Jorgensen
  • Ulrich Kaiser
  • Flora Bellone
  • Liza Jabbour
  • Patrick Musso
  • Lionel Nesta
  • Davide Castellani
  • Francesco Serti
  • Chiara Tomasi
  • Antonello Zanfei

We use comparable micro level panel data for 14 countries and a set of identically specified empirical models to investigate the relationship between exports and productivity. Our overall results are in line with the big picture that is by now familiar from the literature: exporters are more productive than non-exporters when observed and unobserved heterogeneity is controlled for, and these exporter productivity premia tend to increase with the share of exports in total sales; there is evidence in favour of self-selection of more productive firms into export markets, but nearly no evidence in favour of the learning-by-exporting hypothesis. We document that the exporter premia differ considerably across countries in identically specified empirical models. In a meta-analysis of our results we find, consistent with theoretical predictions, that productivity premia are larger in countries with lower export participation rates, with more restrictive trade policies, lower per capita GDP, less effective government and worse regulatory quality, and in countries exporting to relatively more distant markets.

OriginalspracheEnglisch
ZeitschriftReview of World Economics
Jahrgang144
Ausgabenummer4
Seiten (von - bis)596-635
Anzahl der Seiten40
ISSN1610-2878
DOIs
PublikationsstatusErschienen - 01.12.2008

Bibliographische Notiz

Funding Information:
Remark: The International Study Group on Exports and Productivity (ISGEP) consists of teams working with firm (establishment or enterprise) level data from 14 countries. Substantial contributions to the results reported in this paper were made by the following members of the teams: Austria (Leonhard Pertl, Stefano Schiavo), Belgium (Mirabelle Muuls, Mauro Pisu), Chile (Roberto Álvarez, Patricio Jaramillo, Ricardo A. López), China (Johannes Van Biesebroeck, Loren Brandt, Yifan Zhang), Colombia (Ana M. Fernandes, Alberto Isgut), Denmark (Rasmus Jørgensen, Ulrich Kaiser), France (Flora Bellone, Liza Jabbour, Patrick Musso, Lionel Nesta), Germany (Helmut Fryges, Joachim Wagner), Italy (Davide Castellani, Francesco Serti, Chiara Tomasi, Antonello Zanfei), Republic of Ireland (Stefanie A. Haller, Frances Ruane–The Irish contribution to this project is funded under a grant from the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences), Slovenia (Joze P. Damijan, Crt Kostevc, Saso Polanec), Spain (Jose C. Fariñas, Liza Jabbour, Juan A. Máñez, Ana Martin, Maria E. Rochina, Juan A. Sanchis), Sweden (Martin An-dersson, Sara Johansson), and the United Kingdom (David Greenaway, Richard Kneller, Mauro Pisu). Ana Fernandes, Holger Görg and Alberto Isgut contributed to the meta-analysis. Joachim Wagner co-ordinates the group and serves as the corresponding author for this international comparison paper. For an earlier version reporting a large number of more detailed empirical results see ISGEP (2007). Please address correspondence to Joachim Wagner, Leuphana University of Lueneburg, Institute of Economics, Campus 4.210, D–21332 Lüneburg, Germany; e-mail: wagner@uni-lueneburg.de

DOI