The Productivity and Export Spillovers of the Internationalisation Behaviour of Belgian Firms

National Bank of Belgium Working Paper No. 201

37 Pages Posted: 17 Oct 2010

See all articles by Michel Dumont

Michel Dumont

Bruno Merlevede

Ghent University - Department of General Economics

Christophe Piette

National Bank of Belgium

Glenn Rayp

Ghent University - Department of General Economics

Date Written: October 2010

Abstract

This paper analyses to what extent the decision to start exporting may be subject to spillovers of the internationalisation behaviour of other (foreign and domestic) firms. We distinguish between two possible channels: effects on productivity and effects on the perceived level of sunk costs of exporting. For both channels, we consider geographical and activity or industry-based linkages between firms. For a sample Belgian firms we find evidence of significant spillovers on productivity as well as productivity-independent spillovers on the decision to start exporting. Spillovers seem more substantial in the geographical dimension than in terms of competitor, client or supplier links, except for the impact of multinationals on the productivity of domestic firms.

Keywords: Export, FDI, spillovers, sunk cost, region

JEL Classification: F2

Suggested Citation

Dumont, Michel and Merlevede, Bruno and Piette, Christophe and Rayp, Glenn, The Productivity and Export Spillovers of the Internationalisation Behaviour of Belgian Firms (October 2010). National Bank of Belgium Working Paper No. 201, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1692592 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1692592

Bruno Merlevede

Ghent University - Department of General Economics ( email )

Tweekerkenstraat 2
Ghent, 9000
Belgium

Christophe Piette

National Bank of Belgium ( email )

Brussels, B-1000
Belgium

Glenn Rayp

Ghent University - Department of General Economics ( email )

Hoveniersberg 24
Ghent, 9000
Belgium
32-9-2643495 (Phone)

No contact information is available for Michel Dumont

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