Boosting export competitiveness through firm automation

Ariel Herbert Fambeu (), Patricia Tchawa Yomi () and Mireille Etogo Messomo ()
Additional contact information
Ariel Herbert Fambeu: Universiy of Johannesburg
Patricia Tchawa Yomi: University of Douala
Mireille Etogo Messomo: University of Yaounde 2

Economics Bulletin, 2025, vol. 45, issue 4, 1794 - 1808

Abstract: This paper unravels the effect of automation on international competitiveness through exports. We conduct our empirical analysis using a sample of firms from the World Bank Enterprise Survey, which spans 40 developed and developing countries over 2016–2022. Employing the recursive bivariate probit model, the fractional probit model, and the Lewbel's IV method to deal with endogeneity and reverse causality, we find that automation spurs the extensive and intensive margins of exports. We find stronger effect in manufacturing, high-productivity firms, and developed economies. Overall, automation can enhance export, but its effectiveness hinges on complementary investments and enabling ecosystems that support inclusive, productivity-driven trade growth.

Keywords: automation technology; productivity; export (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F1 O3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-12-30
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2025/Volume45/EB-25-V45-I4-P156.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-25-00295

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Economics Bulletin from AccessEcon
Bibliographic data for series maintained by John P. Conley ().