Export Behavior and Productivity Growth: Evidence from Italian Manufacturing Firms

摘要: This paper provides econometric evidence supporting the hypothesis that export behavior cause learning effects. The idea is exporting firms obtain efficiency gains through a variety of channels, among which are international knowledge and technology spillovers exploitation economies scale in larger market. Following existing literature, learning-by-exporting modeled as change, induced by behavior, stochastic process governing firm's productivity. Empirically, this implemented specifying cross-section regressions TFP growth on measures controlling for past other characteristics. Using data sample Italian manufacturing firms, it found, consistently with most previous works, exporters do not exhibit faster growth. Nevertheless, has positive significant relation intensity. In words, only substantial involvement activity have significantly higher rate result, consistent similar work using Chinese suggests no means simply outcome presence into Indeed, requires commitment experience foreign activities, turn associated relative importance activities length time since entry