Sandra Poncet

FDI in Chinese Cities: Spillovers and Impact on Growth

This study reconsiders the question of impact of FDI on growth performance. We rely on a dataset of Chinese cities between 1990 and 2002 to investigate the effects of FDI in the traditional growth regression framework using the GMM estimator for dynamic panels. Our growth model incorporates an explicit consideration of spatial dependence effects in the form of spatially lagged income and FDI. Our results reveal that Chinese cities take advantage not only of FDI flows received locally but also of FDI flows received by their neighbours.

Protectionism and Industry Location in Chinese Provinces

This paper investigates the determinants of activities’ location in Chinese provinces based on a unique panel data set, paying particular attention to the role of local protectionism. We estimate a model of production location across Chinese provinces that combines factor endowments and geographical consideration. Results emphasize that the dynamics of comparative advantages and the forces of the new geographic economy are at work in Chinese provinces. Estimations, however, lend strong support to the role of local protectionism. The location of economic activities in Chinese provinces does thus not exclusively follow the logic of the market.

Cluster policies and firm selection : evidence from France

In this paper, we shed light on the selection of the benefi ciaries from the French competitiveness cluster policy which was launched in 2005 and extended to 2012. We disentangle the selection and self-selection eff ects, as emphasized in the theoretical literature on regional and industrial policy. Our main conclusion is that winners were (self-)selected at both steps of the procedure, and that this holds for the three cluster types: worldwide clusters , potentially worldwide clusters and national clusters . We thus provide a methodology which allows us to contrast the e ffective outcomes of the selection process and the official objectives of cluster policies in terms of targeting, and which thus helps in their econometric evaluation.

Clustering the Winners: The French Policy of Competitiveness Clusters

In 2005 the French government launched a policy of competitiveness clusters, giving subsidies for innovative projects managed locally and collectively by firms, research centers and universities. This paper proposes an ex-ante analysis of the outcome of the selection process that took place before the implementation of the subsidies program, in order to assess whether the policy ended up in choosing winners or losers. We first ask how the clusters have been selected, and then focus on the selection of firms within the clusters, using export and productivity as a measure of performance. Our main conclusion is that public authorities have chosen the winners during the two-step selection procedure. Export premium, beyond what individual characteristics would predict, is however most visible within the category of clusters having no international ambition, where heterogeneity among firms is the largest.

Cluster Policies and Firm Selection: Evidence from France

In this paper, we shed light on the selection of the benefi ciaries from the French competitiveness cluster policy which was launched in 2005 and extended to 2012. We disentangle the selection and self-selection eff ects, as emphasized in the theoretical literature on regional and industrial policy. Our main conclusion is that winners were (self-)selected at both steps of the procedure, and that this holds for the three cluster types: worldwide clusters , potentially worldwide clusters and national clusters . We thus provide a methodology which allows us to contrast the e ffective outcomes of the selection process and the official objectives of cluster policies in terms of targeting, and which thus helps in their econometric evaluation.

Inter-industry relatedness and industrial-policy efficiency: Evidence from China's Export Processing Zones

In this paper, we evaluate whether the efficiency of industrial policies depends on the consistency of their focus with the local productive structure. We use sector-level data from Chinese manufacturing surveys over the 1998–2007 period to show that the efficiency of the export-promoting policies implemented in export processing zones depends on whether they target activities for which the necessary capabilities and resources are available. We find export benefits from the EPZ policy which are greater for sectors with denser links with the local productive structure. Our results suggest that industrial-policy effectiveness is magnified by pre-existing productive knowledge.

What Chinese Provinces Export Matter for Their Income and Export Performance

We estimate the relationship between export sophistication and economic and export performance in China. We confirm Hausmann, Hwang and Rodrik (2007)s prediction that regions that develop more sophisticated goods grasp greater gains from globalization and grow faster. We find that these gains are limited to export activities undertaken by domestic entities. Direct gains do not appear to derive from foreign entities typically engaged in processing trade even though they are the main contributors to the global upgrading of Chinas exports.

On the Measurement of the Openness of the Chinese Economy

In twenty years of reform in China, the key development has been the opening-up of the market to foreign trade and international investment. This increased economic openness has been accompanied by profound changes in both economic organisation and regional disparity. This comprehensive book focuses on the link between these economic reforms and the causes – and ultimately the implications – of regional inequalities in the most populous country in the world.

Quality Screening and Trade Intermediaries: Evidence from China

We examine the quality†screening role played by intermediaries in international trade, exploiting export data at the product level for Chinese exporters. We uncover substantial heterogeneity among intermediaries, and distinguish two types: generalized and specialized intermediaries. We find strong evidence of a quality†verification role for specialized intermediaries: they are more prevalent in products with greater quality dispersion among local exporters, and export goods of higher quality than do generalized intermediaries. Our results suggest that specialized intermediaries have the capacity to reduce the incidence of quality problems.

China's Emergence and Its Implications for Europe's Economies

Abstract This paper assesses how the competition between China and the EU in export markets has affected the trade performance of European countries. It first draws on a comparison between Germany and France before turning to discuss the economic and social impact of Chinas internationalization on Europes economies. The results suggest that even in the recent years when China has gained prominence, it should not be blamed for more than half of the measured effects for emerging countries.