Firms in International Trade: Importers’ and Exporters’ Heterogeneity in Italian Manufacturing Industry

World Economy - Tập 33 Số 3 - Trang 424-457 - 2010
Davide Castellani1, Francesco Serti2, Chiara Tomasi3
1University of Perugia.
2University of Alicante and Scuola Superiore S.Anna
3Scuola Superiore S.Anna and University of Urbino

Tóm tắt

Abstract

Combining data on structural characteristics and economic performance for a large sample of Italian firms with data on exporting and importing activity, we uncover evidence supporting recent theories on firm heterogeneity and international trade, together with some new facts. In particular, we find that importing is associated with substantial firm heterogeneity. First, we document that trade is more concentrated than employment and sales, and show that importing is even more concentrated than exporting both within sectors and along the sector‐ and country‐extensive margins. Second, while supporting the fact that firms involved in both are the best performers, we also find that firms involved only in importing activities perform better than those involved only in exporting. Our evidence suggests there is a strong self‐selection effect in the case of importers and the performance premia of internationalised firms correlate relatively more with the degree of geographical and sectoral diversification of imports.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

Acharya R.andW.Keller(2007) ‘Technology Transfer through Imports’ NBER Working Paper 13086 Cambridge MA:National Bureau of Economic Research.

Altomonte C.andG.Bekes(2009) ‘Trade Complexity and Productivity’ IEHAS Discussion Papers 0914 Institute of Economics Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

10.1257/aer.97.5.1611

10.1007/s10290-008-0169-5

Augier P. O.CadotandM.Dovis(2009) ‘Imports and TFP at the Firm Level: The Role of Absorptive Capacity’ CEPR Discussion Papers 7218 London:CEPR.

10.1016/S0022-1996(98)00027-0

10.1257/jep.21.3.105

Bernard A. B.JensenandP.Schott(2005) ‘Importers Exporters and Multinationals: A Portrait of Firms in the U.S. that Trade Goods’ NBER Working Paper 11404 Cambridge MA:National Bureau of Economic Research.

Bernard A. S.ReddingandP.Schott(2006) ‘Multi‐product Firms and Trade Liberalization’ NBER Working Paper 12782 Cambridge MA:National Bureau of Economic Research.

10.1016/j.econlet.2005.11.007

10.1257/aer.98.4.1707

10.1162/003355398555784

10.2307/2235501

Damijan J. S.PolanecandJ.Prasnikar(2004) ‘Self‐selection Export Market Heterogeneity and Productivity Improvements: Firm‐level Evidence from Slovenia’ Working Paper 14804 LICOS–Centre for Transition Economics K.U. Leuven.

10.1016/S0014-2921(00)00103-3

10.1257/0002828041301560

Ferragina A., 2000, Caratteristiche delle imprese esportatrici italiane. Un’analisi su dati Mediocredito e Federmeccanica, Quaderni di Ricerca ICE, 14, 1

10.1257/aer.99.2.494

Grossman G., 1991, Innovation and Growth in the Global Economy

10.1093/oxrep/grh021

10.1111/j.1468-0297.2007.02018.x

Halpern L. M.KorenandA.Szeidl(2005) ‘Imports and Productivity’ CEPR Working Paper 5139 London:CEPR.

10.1007/978-3-642-17146-8

Helpman E. M.MelitzandY.Rubinstein(2007) ‘Estimating Trade Flows: Trading Partners and Trading Values’ NBER Working Paper 12927 Cambridge MA:National Bureau of Economic Research.

10.1016/S0022-1996(00)00093-3

10.1007/s10290-008-0163-y

Isgut A.andA.Fernandes(2007) ‘Learning‐by‐exporting Effects: Are They For Real?’ MPRA Working Paper 3121 Munich Personal RePEc Archive University Library of Munich Germany.

Kasahara H.andB.Lapham(2008) ‘Productivity and the Decision to Import and Export: Theory and Evidence’ CESifo Working Paper 2240 CESifo Group Munich.

10.1016/j.jdeveco.2007.12.008

Kraay A. I.SoloagaandJ.Tybout(2002) ‘Product Quality Productive Efficiency and International Technology Diffusion: Evidence from Plant‐level Panel Data’ World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 2759 Washington DC:The World Bank.

Kugler M.andE.Verhoogen(2008) ‘The Quality–Complementarity Hypothesis: Theory and Evidence from Colombia’ NBER Working Paper Series 14418 Cambridge MA:National Bureau of Economic Research.

10.1257/aer.99.2.501

10.1111/1467-937X.00246

10.3386/w13297

Markusen J., 1989, Trade in Producer Services and in Other Specialised Intermediate Inputs, American Economic Review, 79, 85

Mayer M.andG.Ottaviano(2007) ‘The Happy Few: The Internationalisation of European Firms. New Facts Based on Firm‐level Evidence’ Working Paper Volume 3 Bruegel Blueprint Series.

10.1111/1468-0262.00467

10.1111/j.1467-9701.2009.01172.x

10.1017/CBO9780511612503

Roberts M. J., 1997, The Decision to Export in Colombia: An Empirical Model of Entry with Sunk Costs, American Economic Review, 87, 545

10.1007/s10290-008-0165-9

Silverman B., 1981, Density Estimation for Statistics and Data Analysis

10.1016/j.jinteco.2004.12.002

Vogel A.andJ.Wagner(2008) ‘Higher Productivity in Importing German Manufacturing Firms: Self‐selection Learning from Importing or Both?’ IZA Working Paper Series 3854 Bonn:Institute of Labor.

10.1111/j.1467-9701.2007.00872.x