Exports and Productivity: Comparable Evidence for 14 Countries

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 are controlled for, and these exporter productivity premia tend to increase with the share of exports in total sales; there is strong 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 that countries that are more open and have more effective government report higher productivity premia. However, the level of development per se does not appear to be an explanation for the observed cross-country differences.exports; productivity; micro data; international comparison

What's Different about Exporters? Evidence from Colombian Manufacturing

Using a large panel of Colombian manufacturing plants, this paper finds that exporters are significantly larger, more capital intensive, have higher labour productivity, and pay higher wages than nonexporters three years before exporting for the first time. The differential in performance increases in the years leading to entry in the export market. After entry, sales, employment, and the proportion of skilled workers in the labour force keep growing significantly faster for exporters, but the growth of labour productivity and capital intensity is indistinguishable for exporters and nonexporters.Exporters, Labour Productivity, Wages, Export Market, Non-Exporters, Manufacturing, Colombia,

Chinese Export Competition, Declining Exports and Adjustments at the Industry and Regional Level in Europe

We analyze how a set of 22 European countries was affected by increased Chinese export competition between 1995 and 2008. Employing product‐group level data, we observe a reduction in the export volumes of European countries due to increased Chinese export competition. This deceleration in the export sector induces changes within the manufacturing industries, especially a decline in employment. When using more aggregated, regional‐level data, our analysis shows that the industry sector as a whole declines, resulting in an increased unemployment rate. The importance of Chinese export competition for Europe is attributable to its high export intensity. La concurrence des exportations chinoises, le déclin des exportations, et les ajustements en Europe au niveau industriel et régional . On analyse comment un ensemble de 22 pays européens a été affecté par la concurrence des exportations chinoises entre 1995 et 2008. En utilisant des données au niveau des groupes de produits, on observe un déclin dans le volume des exportations des pays européens attribuable à la concurrence chinoise. Ce déclin dans le secteur des exportations a entraîné des changements dans les industries manufacturières, en particulier un déclin de l'emploi. Quand on utilise des données agrégées au niveau régional, les analyses montrent que le secteur industriel en son entier a décliné, avec pour conséquence un accroissement du taux de chômage. L'importance de la concurrence des exportations chinoises pour l'Europe est attribuable à la forte intensité de ses exportations