Share:


Exporting activity in rural regions: does it differ from urban regions? Evidence from Poland

Abstract

Limited export potential can impede growth prospects. While core regions serve as hubs of globalization, the question remains as to how rural regions can increase their exports. By identifying the factors that enhance the export competitiveness of rural regions, particularly in comparison to urban regions, we can steer them towards sustainable development and overcome constraints related to remoteness. However, there is no simple or shortcut way of increasing exports in rural regions. It still requires long-term investments, improvements in human capital, inflows of foreign-owned entities, and advantageous operations of special economic zones. Social capital has a positive impact on exports at the regional level, but its effect could not be acknowledged in the subsets of regions. What should rural regions prioritise? Investing in human capital and promoting non-agricultural economic activities that have a greater impact on rural exports than urban ones.


First published online 05 March 2024

Keyword : international trade, rural regions, FDI, human capital, social capital, special economic zones

How to Cite
Nazarczuk, J. M., Umiński, S., & Márquez-Ramos, L. (2024). Exporting activity in rural regions: does it differ from urban regions? Evidence from Poland. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 30(3), 712–732. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2024.20505
Published in Issue
May 28, 2024
Abstract Views
504
PDF Downloads
339
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Abreu, M., Groot, H. L. F. de, & Florax, R. J. (2004). Space and growth: A survey of empirical evidence and methods (Tinbergen Institute Working Paper No. TI 04-129/3). SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.631007

Akçomak, İ. S., & ter Weel, B. (2009). Social capital, innovation and growth: Evidence from Europe. European Economic Review, 53(5), 544–567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2008.10.001

Ambroziak, A. A., & Hartwell, C. A. (2018). The impact of investments in special economic zones on regional development: The case of Poland. Regional Studies, 52(10), 1322–1331. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2017.1395005

Antràs, P., & Yeaple, S. R. (2014). Multinational firms and the structure of international trade. In G. Gopinath, E. Helpman, & K. S. Rogoff (Eds.), Handbook of International Economics (vol. 4, pp. 55–130). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-54314-1.00002-1

Arslan, H. M., & Duran, H. E. (2021). Social capital and regional development in Turkey. Regional Science Policy & Practice, 13(3), 878–920. https://doi.org/10.1111/rsp3.12318

Baldwin, R. E., & Okubo, T. (2006). Heterogeneous firms, agglomeration and economic geography: Spatial selection and sorting. Journal of Economic Geography, 6(3), 323–346. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbi020

Behrman, J. N. (1972). The role of international companies in Latin American integration: Autos and petrochemicals. Lexington Books.

Blomström, M., Globerman, S., & Kokko, A. (2002). Regional integration and foreign direct investment. In J. H. Dunning (Ed.), Regions, globalization, and the knowledge-based economy (pp. 109–130). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/0199250014.003.0006

Borin, A., & Mancini, M. (2016). Foreign direct investment and firm performance: An empirical analysis of Italian firms. Review of World Economics, 152(4), 705–732. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10290-016-0255-z

Brodzicki, T., Márquez-Ramos, L., & Umiński, S. (2018). The investigation into determinants of regional exports base: Panel analysis for Spanish and Polish regions. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 6(1), 135–151. https://doi.org/10.15678/EBER.2018.060108

Brodzicki, T., & Umiński, S. (2018). A gravity panel data analysis of foreign trade by regions: The role of metropolises and history. Regional Studies, 52(2), 261–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2017.1296123

Capello, R., & Nijkamp, P. (2019). Handbook of regional growth and development theories (2nd ed.). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788970020

Cicha-Nazarczuk, M. (2021). Zróżnicowanie wpływu specjalnych stref ekonomicznych: na rynek pracy w Polsce. Instytut Badań Gospodarczych, Olsztyn. https://doi.org/10.24136/eep.mon.2021.10

Cieślik, A., Michałek, J., & Michałek, A. (2014). The influence of firm characteristics and export performance in Central and Eastern Europe: Comparisons of Visegrad, Baltic and Caucasus States. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 2(1), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.15678/EBER.2014.020102

Ciżkowicz, P., Rzońca, A., & Umiński, S. (2013). The determinants of regional exports in Poland – A panel data analysis. Post-Communist Economies, 25(2), 206–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/14631377.2013.787741

Clemens, M. A., & Williamson, J. G. (2000). Where did British foreign capital go? Fundamentals, failures and the Lucas Paradox 1870–1913 (NBER Working Paper No 8028). https://doi.org/10.3386/w8028

Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, 95–120. https://doi.org/10.1086/228943

Contractor, F. J., & Mudambi, S. M. (2008). The influence of human capital investment on the exports of services and goods: An analysis of the Top 25 services outsourcing countries. Management International Review, 48(4), 433–445. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-008-0025-9

Dorożyński, T., Świerkocki, J., & Dobrowolska, B. (2021). Governance of special economic zones and their performance: Evidence from Poland. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 9(3), 149–167. https://doi.org/10.15678/EBER.2021.090310

Dunning, J. H., & Lundan, S. M. (2008). Multinational enterprises and the global economy (2nd ed.). Edward Elgar.

Eff, E. A., & Livingston, S. G. (2007). Is there a rural/urban export gap? Journal of Regional Science, 47(2), 339–363. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9787.2007.00512.x

Estrin, S., Meyer, K. E., Wright, M., & Foliano, F. (2008). Export propensity and intensity of subsidiaries in emerging economies. International Business Review, 17(5), 574–586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2008.04.002

Evald, M. R., Klyver, K., & Christensen, P. R. (2011). The effect of human capital, social capital, and perceptual values on nascent entrepreneurs’ export intentions. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 9(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10843-010-0069-3

Feldman, M. P. (1994). The geography of innovation. In C. Antonelli, & B. Carlsson (Eds.), Economics of science, technology and innovation: Vol. 2. Springer Science & Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3333-5

Feldman, M. P. (1999). The new economics of innovation, spillovers and agglomeration: A review of empirical studies. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 8(1–2), 5–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/10438599900000002

Forsgren, M. (2008). Theories of the multinational firm: A multidimensional creature in the global economy. Edward Elgar.

Friedman, J. (1966). Regional development policy: A case study of Venezuela. The MIT Press.

Gajewski, P., & Tchorek, G. (2017). What drives export performance of firms in Eastern and Western Poland? European Planning Studies, 25(12), 2250–2271. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2017.1355890

Ge, W. (1999). Special economic zones and the opening of the Chinese economy: Some lessons for economic liberalization. World Development, 27(7), 1267–1285. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(99)00056-X

Gnangnon, S. K. (2021). Manufacturing exports and services export diversification. The International Trade Journal, 35(3), 221–242. https://doi.org/10.1080/08853908.2020.1779877

Hirschman, A. O. (1958). The strategy of economic development. Yale Studies in Economics: Vol. 10. Yale University Press.

Jensen, C. (2002). Foreign direct investment, industrial restructuring and the upgrading of Polish exports. Applied Economics, 34(2), 207–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036840010025641

Keeley, B. (2007). Human capital. How what you know shapes your life. OECD insights. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264029095-en

Li, J., Ding, H., Hu, Y., & Wan, G. (2021). Dealing with dynamic endogeneity in international business research. Journal of International Business Studies, 52(3), 339–362. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00398-8

Liu, X., Wang, C., & Wei, Y. (2001). Causal links between foreign direct investment and trade in China. China Economic Review, 12(2–3), 190–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1043-951X(01)00050-5

Loorbach, D., & Rotmans, J. (2010). The practice of transition management: Examples and lessons from four distinct cases. Futures, 42(3), 237–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2009.11.009

Manova, K., Wei, S. J., & Zhang, Z. (2015). Firm exports and multinational activity under credit constraints. Review of Economics and Statistics, 97(3), 574–588. https://doi.org/10.1162/REST_a_00480

Mayer, T., & Ottaviano, G. I. P. (2008). The happy few: The internationalisation of European firms. Intereconomics, 43(3), 135–148. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10272-008-0247-x

Melitz, M. J. (2003). The impact of trade on intra-industry reallocations and aggregate industry productivity. Econometrica, 71(6), 1695–1725. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0262.00467

Micek, G., Guzik, R., Gwosdz, K., & Domański, B. (2021). Newcomers from the periphery: The international expansion of Polish automotive companies. Energies, 14(9), Article 2617. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092617

Michael, M. S., Saban, G., & Abdurahman, A. Z. A. (2016). Factors affecting non-exporting small and medium enterprises’ intention to export: Resource based approach. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 224, 199–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.441

Muringani, J., Fitjar, R. D., & Rodríguez-Pose, A. (2021). Social capital and economic growth in the regions of Europe. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 53(6), 1412–1434. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X211000059

Navaretti, G. B., & Markovic, B. M. (2021). Place-based policies and the foundations of productivity in the private sector. What are we building on? OECD-EC high-level expert workshop Productivity Policy for Places.

Nazarczuk, J. M., & Umiński, S. (2018). The geography of openness to foreign trade in Poland: The role of special economic zones and foreign-owned entities. Bulletin of Geography. Socio-Economic Series, 39, 97–111. https://doi.org/10.2478/bog-2018-0007

Nazarczuk, J. M., Umiński, S., & Brodzicki, T. (2020a). Determinants of the spatial distribution of exporters in regions: The role of ownership. The Annals of Regional Science, 64(3), 547–574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-019-00947-6

Nazarczuk, J. M., Umiński, S., & Jurkiewicz, T. (2020b). Foreign ownership as a neglected factor in regions’ smart specialisation exports. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 21(3), 826–850. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2020.12425

Nazarczuk, J. M., & Umiński, S. (2019). Foreign trade in special economic zones in Poland. UWM.

Nazarczuk, J. M., & Krajewska, A. (2018). Local determinants of foreign direct investment in Poland: The role of relative distance. Equilibrium, 13(1), 73–88. https://doi.org/10.24136/eq.2018.004

Nazarczuk, J. M., Umiński, S., & Gawlikowska-Hueckel, K. (2018). the role of specialization in the export success of polish counties in 2004–2015. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 6(2), 91–109. https://doi.org/10.15678/EBER.2018.060205

Nijkamp, P., van den Bergh, C. J. M., & Soeteman, F. J. (1990). Regional sustainable development and natural resource use. The World Bank Economic Review, 4(S1), 153–188. https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/4.suppl_1.153

Pred, A. (2017). City-systems in advanced economies. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315103136

Putnam, R. D. (1993). Making democracy work: Civic traditions in modern Italy. Princeton University Press.

Putnam, R. D. (1995). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6(1), 65–78. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.1995.0002

Rodrigues, S. B., & Child, J. (2012). Building social capital for internationalization. Revista De Administração Contemporânea, 16(1), 23–38. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1415-65552012000100003

Rojec, M., Damijan, J., & Majcen, B. (2004). Export propensity of Estonian and Slovenian manufacturing firms: Does foreign ownership matter? Eastern European Economics, 42(4), 33–54. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4380387

Schilling, T., Wyss, R., & Binder, C. (2018). The resilience of sustainability transitions. Sustainability, 10(12), Article 4593. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10124593

Shirazi, J. K., Taghvaee, V. M., Nasiri, M., & Arani, A. A. (2020). Sustainable development and openness in oil exporting countries: Green growth and brown growth. Journal of Economic Structures, 9, Article 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40008-020-00216-2

Simmie, J. (2003). Innovation and urban regions as national and international nodes for the transfer and sharing of knowledge. Regional Studies, 37(6–7), 607–620. https://doi.org/10.1080/0034340032000108714

Sinani, E., & Meyer, K.E. (2004). Spillovers of technology transfer from FDI: The case of Estonia. Journal of Comparative Economics, 32(3), 445–466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2004.03.002

Szejgiec, B., & Komornicki, T. (2015). Spatial differentiation of Polish export linkages. Geographia Polonica, 88(1), 173–178. https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0011

Tetsu, K. (2006). Regional development and rural-based export processing zones in developing countries. International Economic Journal, 20(3), 369–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/10168730600879448

Tiwasing, P., Gorton, M., Phillipson, J., & Maioli, S. (2023). Rural businesses and levelling up: A rural-urban analysis of business innovation and exporting in England’s north and midlands. Journal of Rural Studies, 100, Article 103007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103007

Umiński, S., Nazarczuk, J. M., & Borowicz, A. (2023). The role of foreign-owned entities in building economic resilience in times of crisis: The case of European digital and technologically-intensive firms during the Covid-19 pandemic. Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, 18(3), 751–777. https://doi.org/10.24136/eq.2023.024

Umiński, S., & Nazarczuk, J. M. (2021). Regions in international trade. De Gruyter Open. https://doi.org/10.1515/9788395815041

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2013). World investment report 2013: Global value chains: Investment and trade for development. UNCTAD.

Varblane, U., & Ziacik, T. L. (2000). The impact of foreign direct investment on the export activities of Estonian firms. Journal of East-West Business, 5(1–2), 173–190. https://doi.org/10.1300/J097v05n01_09

Wackernagel, M., & Yount, J. D. (1998). The ecological footprint: An indicator of progress toward regional sustainability. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 51(1/2), 511–529. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006094904277

Wallerstein, I. (1974). The rise and future demise of the world capitalist system: Concepts for comparative analysis. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 16(4), 387–415. https://www.jstor.org/stable/178015

Wang, J. (2013). The economic impact of special economic zones: Evidence from Chinese municipalities. Journal of Development Economics, 101, 133–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2012.10.009

Ženka, J., Slach, O., & Pavlík, A. (2019). Economic resilience of metropolitan, old industrial, and rural regions in two subsequent recessionary shocks. European Planning Studies, 27(11), 2288–2311. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2019.1638346