Importing, Productivity and Absorptive Capacity in Sub-Saharan African Manufacturing Firms

Arbeitspapier

Our study extends the recent literature on the importer-productivity relationship to a firm-level dataset for sub-Saharan Africa. Using a cross-section sample of 3090 firms in 19 countries, we find that importers are more productive than non-importers. The observed importer premium is found to be robust to firm-specific characteristics and to a number of alternative estimation methods. Furthermore, we examine the importance of absorptive capacity in enhancing the benefits from importing. Using recently developed quantile threshold regression methods, we find that higher levels of absorptive capacity, as measured by human capital, are associated with a stronger relationship between importing and productivity.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: wiiw Working Paper ; No. 105

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity ; Trade: General ; Business Economics: General ; Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance: General
• Subject: importing ; productivity ; sub-Saharan Africa ; absorptive capacity ; human capital

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Foster-McGregor, Neil ; Isaksson, Anders ; Kaulich, Florian
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw)
• (where): Vienna
• (when): 2013

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/203970
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET