From Innovation to Exporting or Vice Versa? Causal Link between Innovation Activity and Exporting in Slovenian Microdata

Abstract

Firm productivity and export decisions are closely related to innovation activity. Product innovation may play a more important role in the decision to start exporting, while successful exporting may drive process innovation. This suggests that the causality between innovation and exporting may run in both directions.

Using detailed microdata from innovation surveys, industrial production surveys, and trade information for Slovenian firms in 1996-2002, we investigate the bidirectional causal relationship between firm innovation and export activity. We find no evidence for the hypothesis that either product or process innovations increase the probability of becoming a first-time exporter, but we do find evidence in both the innovation survey and the industrial production survey that exporting leads to productivity improvements. These, however, are likely to be related to process rather than product innovations, and are observed only in a sample of medium and large first-time exporters.

Keywords: Firm productivity and export decisions are closely related to innovation activity

JEL Classification: D24, F14, F21