TY - JOUR
T1 - Do African Manufacturing Firms Learn from Exporting?
AU - Bigsten, A.
AU - Collier, P.
AU - Dercon, S.
AU - Fafchamps, M.
AU - Gautier, B.
AU - Gunning, J.W.
AU - Oduro, A.
AU - Oostendorp, R.H.
AU - Pattillo, C.
AU - Söderbom, M
AU - Teal, F.
AU - Zeufack, A.
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - We use firm-level panel data for the manufacturing sector in four African countries to investigate whether exporting impacts on efficiency, and whether efficient firms self-select into the export market. Based on simultaneous estimation of a production function and an export regression, our preferred results indicate significant efficiency gains from exporting, which can be interpreted as learning by exporting. We show that modelling unobserved heterogeneity by a flexible approach is important for deriving this conclusion. A policy implication of our results is that Africa would gain from orientating its manufacturing sector towards exporting. © 2004 Taylor and Francis Ltd.
AB - We use firm-level panel data for the manufacturing sector in four African countries to investigate whether exporting impacts on efficiency, and whether efficient firms self-select into the export market. Based on simultaneous estimation of a production function and an export regression, our preferred results indicate significant efficiency gains from exporting, which can be interpreted as learning by exporting. We show that modelling unobserved heterogeneity by a flexible approach is important for deriving this conclusion. A policy implication of our results is that Africa would gain from orientating its manufacturing sector towards exporting. © 2004 Taylor and Francis Ltd.
U2 - 10.1080/0022038042000213229
DO - 10.1080/0022038042000213229
M3 - Article
SN - 0022-0388
VL - 40
SP - 115
EP - 141
JO - Journal of Development Studies
JF - Journal of Development Studies
IS - 3
ER -