Working Paper Series no. 310: Bigger, Stronger, Farther… Relative performances of French exporting firms. (in French)

Abstract

This article examines the performances of French exporting firms. Using a highly detailed database, we confirm that exporting firms are much bigger, more productive and more profitable than domestic ones. This difference is particularly strong for firms exporting to non-EU markets, and for small businesses. For large businesses, the discrepancy between exporters and domestic firms is fairly small, and non-significant in some industries and for firms that only export to EU destinations. Our results suggest that export-enhancing public policies should target small businesses and firms attempting to export to remote countries.

Matthieu Crozet, Isabelle Méjean and Soledad Zignago
December 2010

Classification JEL : F1

Keywords : Exporting firms, Productivity, Competitiveness.