Patterns of formation of the assortment of exports of Russian firms[Закономерности Формирования Ассортимента Экспорта Российских Фирм]

In the presented paper cross-sectional and time-series patterns of the formation of the export product scope of Russian manufacturing enterprises are studied. The main conclusions of the analysis can be formulated as follows. Firstly, in the detailed data of Russian exports indicate that the relatively greater importance of the specific competencies of firms (specific productivity) compared to the efficiency of managing business processes in an enterprise (company-wide productivity). Secondly, there is a dependence of the Russian firms export product scope and its concentration on the various characteristics of importing countries, reflecting, among other things, the proximity of the market and the local level of competition. It is further demonstrated that the shocks of competition levels in export markets translate into firm productivity shocks through redistribution of resources within firms. These shocks can make a significant contribution to the dynamics of productivity of manufacturing enterprises. Thirdly, the most successful products of the company are products of high quality. Fourth, the formation of the export product scope of Russian firms takes place mainly in the direction of goods close to the current basket of export firms in terms of labor structure, as well as the structure of intermediate consumption. To a somewhat lesser extent, the “export proximity” of goods is associated with vertical production ties between sectors. In turn, the proximity of the product to the comparative advantages of the region increases the likelihood of exporting this product and is positively related to the volume of exported goods.