Empirically Revisiting the Learning-by-Exporting Theory Using Data on Chilean Manufacturing Plants

Authors

  • Ruohan Wu

Keywords:

Export Ratio, Exporting Experience, Productivity, Innovation, Learning-by-Exporting

Abstract

This paper empirically studies the learning-by-exporting hypothesis based on data of Chilean manufacturing plants from 2001 to 2007. I examine plants’ exporting behavior from two aspects: export ratio and exporting experience. Intensive exporting behavior, in terms of higher export ratio or longer exporting experience, consistently and significantly raises the manufacturers’ productivity only among those plants with asset innovation investment over 100 million pesos. Otherwise, the plants’ exporting behavior cannot effectively improve their productivity; learning-by-exporting hypothesis does not hold under a low-innovation circumstance.

Published

2013-07-01