Do the Most Productive Firms Become Exporters? Application of a test for the case of Portugal

Do the Most Productive Firms Become Exporters? Application of a test for the case of Portugal

Using a longitudinal database (1996-2003) at the plant level, this article aims to shed light on the proposition that most productive domestic firms self-select to export markets. Self-selection and learning by exporting are two non-mutually-exclusive theses that attempt to explain the high correlat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Investigación económica Vol. 72; no. 283; p. 1
Main Authors: Silva, Armando, Afonso, Óscar, Africano, Ana Paula
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Mexico City Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico 01-01-2013
Subjects:
Exporters
International trade
Productivity
Studies
Portugal
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Using a longitudinal database (1996-2003) at the plant level, this article aims to shed light on the proposition that most productive domestic firms self-select to export markets. Self-selection and learning by exporting are two non-mutually-exclusive theses that attempt to explain the high correlation between firms' international trade involvement and their superior performance relative to domestic firms. In general, we find evidence of a self-selection to exports. However, there is significant heterogeneity of sales destinations, firm import status before exporting, and the specificities of the sectors firms belong to. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0185-1667