The effects of export on innovation and productivity : the key role of learning-by-exporting
This paper presents an analysis of the impact of exporting on productivity and innovation in SMEs. The primary aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of export on firm performance. The various assumptions made in this study are tested in a recursive model from synthetic indicators of innovation using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). We use data from a representative random sample formed by 90 SMEs of regional of Normandy (France), obtained from the survey conducted in the IDEIS project. The main contributions of this work consist in 1) the decomposition of the overall effect of the export on the firm performance into three effects : a learning effect, a self-selection effect and a specialization effect ; 2) the clarification of the learning-by-exporting effect concept, 3) the simultaneous consideration of both persistence and intensity of export. Estimates show a learning-by-exporting effect without bias contrary to previous works.