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Price Cost Margins and Exporting Behaviour: Evidence from Firm Level Data

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  • Holger Görg
  • Frederic Warzynski

Abstract

This paper examines whether exporting activity matters for firm's price cost margins. The recent literature on exporting and productivity shows that exporters on average are more efficient than nonexporters. If that is the case we may also expect them to have different mark-ups. We investigate this issue using company level data for UK manufacturing industries. The measurement of mark-ups follows the recent approach presented by Roeger (1995). Our results show that, on average, exporters have higher mark-ups than non-exporters. We also distinguish sectors into homogeneous and differentiated goods producing. This distinction shows that we only find higher mark-ups for exporters in differentiated goods sectors, not in homogeneous sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Holger Görg & Frederic Warzynski, 2003. "Price Cost Margins and Exporting Behaviour: Evidence from Firm Level Data," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 365, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp365
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Akbar Ullah & Ejaz Ghani & Attiya Y. Javed, 2013. "Market Power and Industrial Performance in Pakistan," PIDE-Working Papers 2013:88, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
    2. Jan De Loecker & Frederic Warzynski, 2012. "Markups and Firm-Level Export Status," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(6), pages 2437-2471, October.
    3. Chrysovalantis Amountzias, 2018. "The Effects of Competition, Liquidity and Exports on Markups: Evidence from the UK Food and Beverages Sector," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 187-208, June.
    4. Wen Yue & Qingxia Lin, 2023. "Export duration and firm markups: evidence from China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-11, December.
    5. Chrysovalantis Amountzias, 2024. "Market power and income disparities: How can firms influence the gap between capital and labor earnings," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(3), pages 861-888, July.
    6. Carlo Altomonte & Alessandro Barattieri, 2015. "Endogenous Markups, International Trade, and the Product Mix," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 205-221, September.
    7. Chrysovalantis Amountzias, 2019. "Pricing Decisions and Competitive Conduct Across Manufacturing Sectors: Evidence from 19 European Union Manufacturing Industries," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 413-440, September.
    8. Lundin, Nan Nan, 2004. "Import Competition, Product Differentiation and Mark-Ups - Microeconomic evidence from Swedish manufacturing in the 1990s," Working Paper Series 195, Trade Union Institute for Economic Research.
    9. Chrysovalantis Amountzias, 2017. "An Investigation of the Degree of Market Power in the Greek Manufacturing and Service Industries," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 447-464, December.
    10. Chrysovalantis Amountzias, 2021. "Markup cyclicality, competition and liquidity constraints: Evidence from a panel VAR analysis," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(3), pages 3696-3718, July.
    11. Yong-Seok Choi & Siwook Lee, 2013. "Productivity, Markups and Export Intensity: Evidence from Korean Manufacturing," Korean Economic Review, Korean Economic Association, vol. 29, pages 329-350.
    12. Gullstrand, Joakim & Olofsdotter, Karin & Thede, Susanna, 2011. "Markups and export pricing," Working Papers 2011:37, Lund University, Department of Economics.
    13. Wen Yue & Xuefei Li, 2023. "Financial constraints and firms’ markup: evidence from China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-13, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    exports; mark-ups; price cost margins; productivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance
    • L6 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing

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