Export Quality in Advanced and Developing Economies: Evidence from a New Data Set

42 Pages Posted: 18 Sep 2017

See all articles by Christian Henn

Christian Henn

International Monetary Fund

Chris Papageorgiou

International Monetary Fund (IMF) - Research Department

Jose Romero

World Bank

Nicola Spatafora

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Date Written: September 14, 2017

Abstract

This paper develops new estimates of export quality, based on bilateral data, which are far more extensive than previous efforts. The data cover 166 countries and hundreds of products over 1962-2014. The analysis finds that quality upgrading is particularly rapid during the early stages of development. There is significant cross-country heterogeneity in the growth rate of quality. Within any given product line, quality converges over time to the world frontier. Institutional quality, liberal trade policies, foreign direct investment inflows, and human capital all promote quality upgrading, although their impacts vary across sectors. The results suggest that reducing barriers to entry into new sectors can allow economies to benefit from rapid quality convergence over time.

Suggested Citation

Henn, Christian and Papageorgiou, Chris and Romero, Jose and Spatafora, Nikola, Export Quality in Advanced and Developing Economies: Evidence from a New Data Set (September 14, 2017). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 8196, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3037246

Christian Henn (Contact Author)

International Monetary Fund ( email )

700 19th St NW
Washington, DC 20431
United States

Chris Papageorgiou

International Monetary Fund (IMF) - Research Department ( email )

700 19th Street NW
Washington, DC 20431
United States

Jose Romero

World Bank

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Nikola Spatafora

International Monetary Fund (IMF) ( email )

700 19th Street NW
Washington, DC 20431
United States

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