Effects of E-Commerce Platforms on Firm Export* – Evidence from China’s Industrial Enterprises

Yue Yunsong (岳云嵩)1 and Li Bing (李兵)2
1 Policy and Economics Research Institute, China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), Beijing,
China
2 School of International Economy and Trade, Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE), Beijing

Abstract: With deepening digital technology applications in international trade, e-commerce platforms have become a major avenue for firm export. Based on a multicountry, multi-product heterogeneous firms trade theory model, this paper investigates the firm export effects of e-commerce platforms, and empirically tests the inferences from the model using data from Alibaba China Station, China industrial enterprises data, and China customs data from 2000 to 2009. Our estimation result shows that overall, e-commerce platforms significantly increase firm export probability and volume; e-commerce platforms enable firms to export products of different types to more countries by reducing the cost of information and export markets threshold while raising trade efficiency. Further analysis of enterprise heterogeneity reveals that SMEs, firms in China’s eastern region, and general exporters benefit more from e-commerce platforms than other types of firms do.

Keywords: e-commerce platform, Alibaba, manufacturing firms, export

JEL Classification Codes: F12, F13, O30
DOI:1 0.19602/j .chinaeconomist.2019.9.10

¥0.01加入购物车