Heterogeneity in Irish indigenous manufacturing export behaviour : a new conceptual framework

Abstract

This thesis explores firm heterogeneity; in particular it focuses on exporter heterogeneity using a new conceptual framework which classifies firms on the basis of their exporting experience over the life of the firm or period of observation, as appropriate. This thesis contains four empirical chapters investigating heterogeneity in Irish indigenous manufacturing exporting behaviour using plant-level data from the annual Census of Industrial Production for the period 1985 to 2003. Chapter 2 builds on Wagner (2004) and develops a new conceptual framework which decomposes exporters into six types: starters, re-starters, continuing exporters with increased and decreased exports, re-stoppers and stoppers. A particular feature of this framework is a distinction between firms that are starting to export for the first time (export starters) and those that 're-start' exporting, having previously exported but stopped (export re-starters). This decomposition presents the first evidence of what we term re-switching activity, which occurs when firms enter, exit and then re-enter the export market at least once over the period of observation and, as a consequence we are able to develop a new means of classifying heterogeneous exporters into two main groups; (i) consistent exporters, and (ii) intermittent exporters, based on the exporting behaviour of the firm over its life-time or period of observation, as relevant.