Knowledge spillovers and new ventures' export orientation

Abstract

We draw on the knowledge spillover literature to suggest that a country's proportion of export-oriented new ventures represents an outcome of knowledge spillovers that stem from foreign direct investment (FDI) and international trade (export spillovers) as well as a source of knowledge spillovers (entrepreneurship spillovers). To test the hypotheses, we use macrolevel data from 34 countries during the period 2002-2005. We find that the relationship between FDI and international trade on the one hand and a country's proportion of export-oriented new ventures on the other differs for higher- and lower-income countries. In addition, a country's proportion of export-oriented new ventures affects the subsequent emergence of new businesses.