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Exporting and productivity: Evidence for Egypt and Morocco

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  • Martínez-Zarzoso, Inmaculada

Abstract

This paper investigates the link between exporting and importing activities and firm performance using a rich dataset on Egyptian and Moroccan firms. We test the export premium, self-selection and learning-by-exporting hypotheses using a number of firm characteristics. Our analysis also includes importing activities as a source of learning and considers their effects on productivity changes. A differences-in-differences matching estimator is used to address the endogeneity bias of target variables. The main results for Egyptian firms echo those reported for other countries using firm-level data, namely exporters are larger and more productive than non-exporters. In contrast, Moroccan exporters and non-exporters are strikingly similar. More specifically, no evidence is found of pre or post-entry differences in labour productivity for Moroccan firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Martínez-Zarzoso, Inmaculada, 2012. "Exporting and productivity: Evidence for Egypt and Morocco," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 136, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:cegedp:136
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    firms; new-new trade theory; productivity; exporting; panel data; Egypt; Morocco;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F35 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Aid

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