出口集聚的需求侧效应、信息摩擦与产品质量

Demand-side Effects of Export Agglomeration,Information Friction and Product Quality

高质量发展是全面建设社会主义现代化国家的首要任务。本文研究了在信息摩擦条件下出口集聚对制造业企业产品质量的影响及作用机制。不同于传统的马歇尔外部性理论从供给侧分析集聚效应,本文从需求侧揭示了出口集聚的重要意义。理论分析表明,出口集聚可以通过“需求学习效应”和“质量声誉效应”的双重机制促进企业产品质量提升。本文基于2007—2016年中国海关进出口数据与全国税收调查数据的实证研究得到了与理论分析一致的结果。机制研究发现,需求学习效应对年轻企业和小规模企业的质量提升作用更大;当需求信号精度下降时,需求学习效应被削弱;需求信息具有市场专属性特点,同一目的地出口集聚的需求学习效应大于其他目的地出口集聚。质量声誉效应是把“双刃剑”,好的质量声誉能提升企业产品质量,而坏的质量声誉则会降低企业产品质量;新产品和异质性产品对质量声誉的敏感度更大。进一步分析表明,即使考虑了马歇尔外部性的作用,需求学习效应和质量声誉效应依然具有经济意义上的显著性,其重要性不容忽视。

In the current context,it is crucial to thoroughly investigate how export agglomeration can shift from prioritizing“quantity growth”to focusing on“quality improvement”.Given the dual challenges of increased fluctuations in foreign demand and the declining effectiveness of domestic factor-driven growth,it is especially important to identify the key factors that drive the development of agglomeration economies,which will provide valuable insights for local governments when formulating industrial policies.This study aims to address the following questions:Can export agglomeration,under conditions of information friction,facilitate improvements in product quality of firms? If so,what mechanisms are responsible for this effect? Moreover,when compared to traditional Marshallian externalities,does the demand-side agglomeration effects hold economic significance? Answering these questions will not only enhance our understanding of agglomeration effects but also provide fresh perspectives for achieving high-quality economic development in China.Theoretical analysis indicates that export agglomeration can enhance product quality for firms through two mechanisms:the“demand learning effect”and the“quality reputation effect”.Using data in the China Customs Import and Export Database and the China National Tax Survey Database for the period of 2007-2016,we investigate the impact of export agglomeration on product quality.The empirical results confirm our theoretical predictions:Export agglomeration significantly promotes improvements in product quality.Specifically,we find that the demand learning effect has a stronger influence on the quality improvement of young and small-scale enterprises,as they heavily rely on market demand information obtained from export agglomeration.The effectiveness of the demand learning effect diminishes when demand signals become less accurate.Moreover,the demand learning effect is more pronounced for export agglomeration targeting an identical destination than that for export agglomeration targeting different destinations.Additionally,we observe that the quality reputation effect is a double-edged sword,as a positive reputation enhances product quality while a negative reputation reduces it.New and heterogeneous products are more sensitive to quality reputation than old and homogeneous ones.Finally,our quantitative analysis demonstrates that,even when considering the role of Marshallian externalities,the demand learning effect and quality reputation effect remain economically significant.Therefore,their importance should not be overlooked.Compared with existing literature,this study makes contributions in several ways.Firstly,it is the first to investigate the impact of export agglomeration on product quality of firms through two demandside mechanisms:the“demand learning effect”and the“quality reputation effect”.Secondly,this study complements the research on agglomeration effects from the perspective of product decision-making.Lastly,in terms of data,we utilize the latest 2007-2016 China Customs Import and Export Database and the China National Tax Survey Database.By analyzing firm-level characteristic variables,we address omitted variable bias and enhance the timeliness of our research findings.The conclusions of this study offer policy insights into how China can leverage export agglomeration to promote high-quality development for its firms.Firstly,fostering the joint development of regional industrial clusters can contribute to the overall high-quality development of China's foreign trade.Secondly,the importance of quality reputation emphasizes the significance of branding as a symbol of high-quality development.Strengthening brand building efforts becomes an important pathway to meet the aspirations of people for a better life.Lastly,local governments can support the construction of quality infrastructure in industrial parks that facilitates the sharing of export information.This can encourage and guide regional firms to achieve high-quality export development by utilizing existing export networks.