A new look at Philippine export performance: a firm-level view

Abstract

This article introduces a rich new database of the Philippine Statistics Authority that contains the universe of export and import transactions of all firms in the period 1991-2012, merged with all the manufacturing firm surveys since 1996. A new set of stylized facts is presented that pertains to the drivers of export growth and patterns of trade, including the dimensions of geographical location, size, and firm ownership. New firm typologies are developed tracing the behavior of every exporting and importing firm not only in terms of entry, exit, and survival, but also in terms of re-entry, permanent exit, and continuous or resilient survival. Micro evidence points to a steady decline in manufacturing exporters during the period under study, with the drastic drop in new entry and survival rates of firms coinciding with a significant increase of permanent exit from export markets.

JEL classification: F14, C55