Does the “Productivity Paradox” Exist in the Chinese Food Industry?

抄録

The objective of this research is to check if the “productivity paradox” exists in the Chinese food industry and estimate the effect of export scales on the enterprises’ total factor productivity (TFP). The results show the following: first, the “productivity paradox” does not exist in the Chinese food industry; second, within specific optimal intervals, export scale can facilitate the increase in TFP; and third, “learning by exporting” has a time-lag effect on the food industry, which impacts food manufacturing firms the least and beverage manufacturing firms the most.