Effects of Agglomeration Economies on Chinese Firms: Internationalization and Learning-by-Exporting

This study examines the effects of exporter agglomeration on purely local firms' decision to undertake internationalization and the resultant performance enhancement from internationalization using propensity score matching and difference-in-differences approach. We find that the likelihood of starting to export is higher when purely local firms are located in a region with a higher level of exporter agglomeration, as positive externalities allow them to overcome insufficient internal resources and reduce the large initial foreign market entry costs. We also find that newly exporting firms are more likely to experience greater performance enhancement from exporting when they are locate in a region with a lower level of exporter agglomeration.