Learning-by-doing, learning-by-exporting, and productivity: evidence from Colombia

Ana Margarida Fernandes and Alberto Isgut

No 3544, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: The empirical evidence on whether participation in export markets increases plant-level productivity has been inconclusive so far. The authors explain this inconclusiveness by drawing on Arrow's (1962) characterization of learning-by-doing, which suggests focusing on young plants and using measures of export experience rather than export participation. They find strong evidence of learning-by-exporting for young Colombian manufacturing plants between 1981 and 1991: total factor productivity increases 4-5 percent for each additional year a plant has exported, after controlling for the effect of current exports on total factor productivity. Learning-by-exporting is more important for young than for old plants and in industries that deliver a larger percentage of their exports to high-income countries.

Keywords: Economic Theory&Research; Environmental Economics&Policies; Banks&Banking Reform; Educational Sciences; Scientific Research&Science Parks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev, nep-eff and nep-int
Date: 2005-03-01
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Working Paper: Learning-by-Doing, Learning-by-Exporting, and Productivity: Evidence from Colombia (2005)
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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:3544

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