Exports and Firm Performance: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment

This project uses a randomized field experiment in Egypt to examine the channels through which increasing market access can drive economic growth and reduce poverty. We focus on a particular export promotion intervention designed to match Egyptian Artisan carpet makers with Western buyers and evaluate several dimensions of the intervention. First, we explore whether increasing market access via exporting has a causal effect on enterprise performance. Second, we analyze the key firm-specific factors that are conducive for export success (vital information for improving the efficacy of such market access programs). Third, we examine if export market access increase the level and reduces the volatility of income during a period of violence and political instability.