Air access to foreign markets and export-biased growth: Evidence from business entries
中文摘要
本文考察国际航空连通性通过影响制造业企业进入，进而塑造区域产业专业化的作用。我们利用 2010 年代源自中国的国际航线的高颗粒度数据，构建了县级的外国市场航空可达性指标。为处理内生性，我们采用移动份额 (shift–share) 工具变量策略，以剥离全球航空服务中与地方因素无关的外生变动。研究发现，外国航空可达性扩张幅度更大的县，在中国出口具有更强显性比较优势的行业中的企业进入率更高。机制分析表明，航空连通性的改善提升了出口活动与盈利能力，不成比例地扩大了年轻出口企业的出口，并促进了新产品市场与新目的地市场的贸易。我们还提供了航空连通性通过促进面对面交流而缓解合同摩擦的证据。总体而言，我们的结果凸显了国际航空连通性作为内生性空间分选与出口偏向型产业增长的重要驱动因素的作用。
Abstract
This paper investigates the role of international air connectivity in shaping regional industrial specialization through its impact on manufacturing firm entry. Leveraging granular data on international airlines originated from China during the 2010s, we construct county-specific foreign market air access measure. To address endogeneity, we employ a shift–share IV strategy that isolates exogenous variations in global air service from local factors. Our findings reveal that counties experiencing greater expansions in foreign air access exhibit higher entry rates in industries where China's exports hold stronger revealed comparative advantages. Mechanism analysis indicates that improved air connectivity boosts export activity and profitability, disproportionately expand exports among young exporters, and foster trade in new product and destination markets. We also provide evidence that air connectivity mitigates contracting frictions by facilitating face-to-face interactions. Overall, our results highlight international air connectivity as an important driver of endogenous spatial sorting and export-biased industrial growth.