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When does innovation matter for exporting?

Author

Listed:
  • Juan Blyde

    (Inter-American Development Bank)

  • Gonzalo Iberti

    (Chilean Ministry of Finance)

  • Micaela Mussini

    (Inter-American Development Bank)

Abstract

A growing number of studies that look at the relationship between innovation and exports find that more innovation tends to allow firms to export more. But very little is known about the heterogeneous impacts of innovation on exports. Since innovation is not a costless activity, it is relevant to know the specific situations in which a firm most likely needs to innovate to raise its exports. Using data from Chile, we combine information on innovation activities at the firm level with a rich dataset on exports at the transaction level. We find that the firms that engage in innovation tend to export more than other firms because they are able to sell goods and target markets that reward innovation. We show that the goods and markets in which innovative exporters outperform non-innovative exporters are those where innovation can lead to substantial differences in terms of quality. Innovative firms do not have an edge in exporting goods and in targeting markets that do not reward innovation. In particular, innovative firms do not outperform non-innovative firms when exporting goods and penetrating markets in which differentiation in terms of quality is not possible or not relevant.

Suggested Citation

  • Juan Blyde & Gonzalo Iberti & Micaela Mussini, 2018. "When does innovation matter for exporting?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 1653-1671, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:empeco:v:54:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1007_s00181-017-1274-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s00181-017-1274-x
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    Cited by:

    1. Wu, Lichao & Wei, Yingqi & Wang, Chengang, 2021. "Disentangling the effects of business groups in the innovation-export relationship," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(1).
    2. Yaozhi Xu & Liling Xu, 2023. "The Convergence between Digital Industrialization and Industrial Digitalization and Export Technology Complexity: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-18, June.
    3. Xianhai Huang & Yi Wang & Zhujun Zhu & Xueyin Song, 2022. "Quality of imported intermediates, innovation behaviour and markups: Firm‐level evidence from China," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(9), pages 2796-2819, September.
    4. Edmund Mallinguh & Christopher Wasike & Zeman Zoltan, 2020. "Technology Acquisition and SMEs Performance, the Role of Innovation, Export and the Perception of Owner-Managers," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, October.
    5. 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.
    6. Qasim Ali & Sofia Anwar & Muhammad Sohail Amjad Makhdum & Muhammad Rizwan Yaseen, 2023. "Impact of Innovation on Productivity and Efficiency: Evidence from the Textile Industry of Pakistan," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 5(1), pages 22-31.
    7. Wu, Lichao & Wei, Yingqi & Wang, Chengang & McDonald, Frank & Han, Xia, 2022. "The importance of institutional and financial resources for export performance associated with technological innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Innovation; Exports; Product quality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General

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