Diego Rodríguez

A consistent analysis of diversification decisions with non-observable firm effects

The empirical analyses of firm diversification decisions, both for new activities (new products) and markets (for example, new routes for airlines), have usually estimated a binary dependent variable model for each of the decisions the firm makes. To obtain consistent estimators, every relevant effect must be considered in the specification. As this will hardly happen, the presence of nonobserved firm effects (either because such data do not exist or because it is impossible to obtain them) must be econometrically treated, because it causes inconsistency in the estimations. In this paper we propose to use the estimators provided by the maximization of the conditional likelihood function in problems of this kind because they give consistent results even when unobserved firm effects are present. Finally, we apply this technique to an example of diversification among Spanish manufacturers.

Pricing to market at firm level

This paper analyzes the influence of exchange rate variations on prices in foreign and home markets using firm data. The theoretical benchmark, based on the literature of pricing to market, also takes into account some hypotheses about the effects of demand variations and market power on prices. The empirical analysis for the Spanish economy points out the positive impact of the devaluations of the domestic currency on the relative evolution of prices, though smaller than obtained in previous evidence using aggregated data. The results also suggest a procyclical behavior of prices, which is positively affected by the degree of competition. JEL no. F12, L60, L13

Export activity, persistence and mark-ups

This article addresses the differences in margins across exporting and nonexporting firms. We jointly estimate a translog cost function, a variable factor share equation and price-cost margin equations to analyse the effect of persistence in export activity on margins. Results indicate that nonexporters have smaller margins than persistent exporters and firms that entered foreign markets during the nineties. However, larger export ratio is negatively associated with margins for persistent exporters. It suggests that efficiency advantages for exporters are partially compensated by higher competitive pressure in international markets. These results are in accordance with the predictions of Melitz and Ottaviano (2005).

Age and productivity as determinants of firm survival over the product life cycle

Abstract This paper contributes to fill the gap between the literature on the determinants of firm survival and the empirical works on the industry life cycle (ILC). Using a representative sample of Spanish firms with 10 or more employees over the period 1993–2009, the role played by firm age and productivity in firm survival is empirically analysed across three stages of the life cycle of forty-seven 3-digit manufacturing sectors. In the ‘early’ stage of the ILC, firm age is negatively correlated with hazard rates while firm productivity is not. Firm productivity is associated with lower hazard in the ‘mature’ stage of the ILC, when competition is primarily efficiency-driven, while firm age does not play a significant role for firm survival. In the ‘intermediate’ stage, both age and productivity play a role in reducing firms’ hazard rates.

Geographical and industrial spillovers in entry decisions across export markets

This article addresses sequential entry decisions in export markets. It focuses on externalities derived from previous export activity in countries close to those for which a potential entry decision is made (geographical spillovers) and externalities derived from previous presence of other firms in the same industry (industrial spillovers). The empirical analysis uses Spanish microdata for the period 2000–2010 in a firm decision model that also integrates country and industry characteristics. The results suggest that these two types of spillovers have a positive effect in explaining entry decisions in new export markets, though both are smaller in magnitude than the effects coming from previous presence in the same specific destination.

The effect of international trade on mark-ups distribution

This paper presents empirical evidence about the relationship between market openness and markup distribution of manufacturing firms. The empirical analysis uses a panel data set of Spanish firms in the period 1990-2005, with a structural approach that lets us to identify individual mark-ups. The results point out that tougher competition associated to openness reduces the average of marginal costs and prices, while it increases the average firm size. However, the evidence about the effect on average markups and the dispersion of performance variables is weaker. These results partially support the theoretical predictions by the recent literature on efficiency heterogeneity and international trade and, in particular, Melitz and Ottaviano (2008).