Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often have different export behavior than bigger firms, in spite of their high productivity. To understand the behavior of these small champions, we develop a theoretical framework that analyzes the factors that affect firm export performance, from the decision to start exporting (the extensive export margin) and how much they will export (the intensive export margin). When we use Korean firm-level data to test our model, we find that productivity plays an important role in the firm export entry decision, and fixed export costs are important determinants of fractions of export intensity. We use our empirical results to explore the policy implications of policy interventions focused on SME export.

This study provides a conceptual framework to explain the difficulties a late-follower country will need to surmount if it seeks to join pre-existing international production networks (IPNs). To address this problem, we consider the cost minimization problem that confronts multinational firms as they choose how to locate fragmented production processes across borders. By clarifying IPN-related costs, we describe the structural disadvantages that confront late-follower countries and provide several policy implications that may help these countries overcome their disadvantages through targeted efforts. We use our framework to guide our examination of economic data, to analyze the hurdles that limit India's participation in the East Asian IPNs.