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Exports and Productivity: An Empirical Analysis of German and Austrian Firm-Level Performance

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  • Hansen, Thorsten

Abstract

This paper studies the relationship between export activities and firm-level productivity. Unique matching of German and Austrian micro data from 1994 to 2003 suggests that exporters are more productive by around 40 percent compared with non-exporters. Moreover, beside other analysis techniques, instrumental variable estimations suggest that exporting causes a rise in firm-level productivity. That is, the annual average growth rate of an exporting firm's productivity is between about 1 and 1.5 percent higher than that of non-exporters. It allows the conclusion that, against other findings of existing studies, both directions hold: more productive firms self-select themselves into export markets and being active in foreign markets boosts firm-level productivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Hansen, Thorsten, 2010. "Exports and Productivity: An Empirical Analysis of German and Austrian Firm-Level Performance," Discussion Papers in Economics 11466, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:lmu:muenec:11466
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    Cited by:

    1. Görg, Holger & Hanley, Aoife, 2017. "Globalization: Implications for firms in Germany," Working Papers 04/2017, German Council of Economic Experts / Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung.
    2. Frenkel Michael & Zimmermann Lilli, 2020. "What Drives Germany's Exports?," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 56(2), pages 99-108, June.
    3. Hoedoafia, Mabel Akosua, 2020. "On the Link between Trade Liberalization and Firm Productivity: Panel Data Evidence from Private Firms in Ghana," MPRA Paper 99568, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Mahdi Ghodsi, 2020. "Is Austria’s economy locked-in in the CESEE region? Austria’s competitiveness at the micro-level," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 47(3), pages 669-693, August.
    5. Frenkel Michael & Zimmermann Lilli, 2020. "What Drives Germany's Exports?," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 56(2), pages 99-108, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    exports; firm-level productivity;

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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