In this paper we directly test the proposed productivity hierarchy of direct, indirect and non-exporters using firm-level data from 105 developing and transition countries. Using both regression analysis and propensity score matching, we find strong evidence to suggest that direct exporters are...

This paper explores how reductions in tariffs on imported inputs and final goods affect firm productivity by exploiting the special tariff treatment that processing firms apply on imported inputs as opposed to those of non-processing firms. Highly disaggregated Chinese transaction-level trade...

The authors empirically characterize the mechanics of trade adjustment during the Argentine crisis using detailed firm-level customs data covering the universe of import transactions made during 1996-2008. Their main findings are as follows: First, the extensive margin defined as the entry and...

Recent Melitz-type (2003) intra-industry heterogonous trade models argue that a firm's productivity has significant effects on the firm's exports. This paper examines how a firm's credit constraints as well as its productivity affect its export decisions. We imbed the firm's credit constraints...

This paper estimates the effects of offshoring on productivity in U.S. manufacturing industries between 1992 and 2000, using instrumental variables estimation to address the potential endogeneity of offshoring. It finds that service offshoring has a significant positive effect on productivity in...

This paper presents a tractable formalization and an empirical investigation of the quality-complementarity hypothesis, the hypothesis that input quality and plant productivity are complementary in generating output quality. We embed this complementarity in a general-equilibrium trade model with...

Recent works in trade theory and related empirical studies have drawn a revised picture of trade patterns: international specialisation has been proved to take place within products, across varieties, rather than across products or across industries. Systematising this repeated empirical...

The private sector is deemed as an engine of growth. As such, many developing countries including Ghana have sought to develop the private sector to propel the growth of their economies. This notwithstanding, much has not been done to examine the effects of such efforts on the productivity of...

This paper investigates the impacts of transportation infrastructure expansions on firm productivity and productivity gaps between the private and state sectors in China. Heterogeneous firms compete strategically a la Cournot in a multi-region model of internal trade. We show that lower...