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The impact of export promotion programs (EPPs) on the intensive margin of exports remains somewhat uncertain. This study tackles a crucial question: does export promotion enhance firm-level intensive margin of exports?

We draw upon comprehensive empirical research conducted up to 2023. We collected 951 estimates, constructed 22 variables, captured diverse contexts and employed a meta-analytical approach to scrutinize the considerable variation in findings.

The overall meta-effect, after filtering out publication bias, is positive and statistically significant. Firms receiving EPP support exhibit an export intensity that is 1–9% higher than firms not participating in such programs. Assessing the mechanisms through which EPPs bolster this, we observe that support in the form of various services plays a more substantial role compared to assistance in the form of financial resources.

Evaluating EPPs and their activities in terms of social welfare falls beyond the scope of this paper, which specifically focuses on the benefits of EPPs to export intensity. Subsequent research should undertake a comprehensive evaluation, considering both economic impacts and costs for accurate assessments of welfare. We also suggest that future meta-analyses explore other dimensions of firm-level performance linked to EPPs.

Publication bias distorts the impacts of EPPs, leading to an overstatement of their actual effects. Adjusting for publication bias, the practical significance of EPPs for a country’s trade intensity appears to be limited. Additionally, the provision of diverse activities and services primarily contributes to the amplification of export margins as compared to subsidies and grants. While larger firms initially benefit more from EPPs, these effects are found to be transitory.

This is the first meta-analysis scrutinizing the impact of EPPs, specifically concentrating on the firm-level intensive margin of exports.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the impacts that the recent proliferation of private and overlapping standards is having in the trade of agricultural products from developing countries.

In a first stage industry experts in the Chilean fresh fruit trading industry were interviewed to understand the perceived impact that private standards are imposing in the industry. These interviews allowed to identify the market case study, table grapes, the landscape of private standards and their prevalence in different countries. In a second stage, a gravity trade model for trade in table grapes was estimated, with a focus on the more stringent countries identified by experts in the first stage.

We show evidence that the proliferation of private standards required by large European retailers has diverted trade away from more stringent countries that require more certifications (and into less stringent European markets). We also show that the costs of these additional certifications have been shared by trading partners, via an increase in direct sales, as opposed to consignment (the traditional marketing mode), which is associated with higher prices.

The impacts of the recent proliferation of private and overlapping standards in international trade needs to be better understood both by the legal and economic literature. While the use of private standards has been growing since the 1990s, there is a recent trend of large European retailers imposing their own and overlapping standards that needs to be better understood to inform policy.

While there is a thin literature on the impact of private standards on trade, most of this has studied the effects of the now de facto mandatory GlobalGAP certification. However, there is a recent trend by large European retailers of demanding their own private certifications, together with other already existing overlapping private standards. This study describes and analyzes the impacts of this rather new trend.

The present study aims to identify the antecedents and consequences of blockchain adoption in the wine industry from the absorptive capacity perspective through a multiple case study approach.

A multiple case study approach was utilized, wherein data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and secondary sources of information from the five Italian innovative wineries.

The results show that the dynamic capabilities of wineries and the creation of strategic partnerships are common conditions for the adoption of blockchain technology (BCT). In addition, findings reveal that creating value for all supply chain stakeholders and preventing counterfeit products are the most important consequences of BCT adoption.

This study fills a gap in the literature by investigating the drivers of BCT technology adoption under two theoretical lenses, Absorptive capacity and Dynamic capability theories, confirming the usefulness of these two theories in explaining the process of innovation adoption.

The originality of our research study lies in its investigation of the antecedents and consequences of BCT adoption in the wine supply chain, focusing specifically on the role of dynamic capabilities, knowledge acquisition and assimilation, strategic partnerships and open interactions with external actors in driving technological innovation and the successful implementation of BCT in the wine industry. By offering empirical data on the drivers and impacts of BCT adoption, as well as theoretical implications for technological innovation and value creation in the wine sector, our study contributes to filling gaps in the existing literature and provides practical insights for wineries and AgTechs seeking to integrate BCT into their business models.

Czechia's economic growth is substantially dependent on foreign trade. An independent monetary policy in a managed floating exchange rate regime gives a unique perspective on the effects of the exchange rate on foreign trade. This chapter evaluates the effects of exchange rate development on different sectors of Czechia's foreign trade. Using disaggregated data based on trading partner and product category, the period from 1999 to 2020 is analyzed. Czechia's 10 major trading partners are included in the estimation. The relationship between exchange rates and foreign trade is assessed through a Johansen cointegration approach and modified vector error correction model. The results of the Johansen cointegration test indicate that the majority of the aggregate bilateral trade balances are in a long-term relationship with Czechia's gross domestic product (GDP), foreign GDP and exchange rate movements. The J-curve is proved only in chemicals and related products traded with France, manufactured goods traded with Italy and Slovakia and mineral fuels and lubricants traded with the Netherlands.

The purpose of microcredit is to offer small loans to people who are not covered by traditional financial channels. It can facilitate entrepreneurship, boosting local socio-economic development and improving environmental and political factors.

This paper aims to analyse microcredit in Italy, focusing on a project based in Rione Sanità, Naples. Rione Sanità is one of the poorest areas of Southern Italy, displaying high rates of criminality and unemployment, especially among youth, women, migrants and the vulnerable. The district is renowned for its fine and ancient handicrafts, food, trade and historical heritage – potential drivers for boosting tourism in the area. Qualitative methodologies were used to collect primary data through field visits and interviews with project bankers, local businesses, artisans, associations and religious representatives, project volunteers, as well as participation at local meetings. These data were corroborated by budget analysis based on the project's accounting.

The study shows encouraging results for the project and policy prospects. Despite the tiny starting numbers, there emerges a significant potential for microcredit to spread in the district, as in Southern Italy, providing an effective strategy to combat unemployment, usury and criminality, yielding community development and favoring broad societal challenges.

With this evidence, the paper attempts to shed some light and verify the potential of microfinance projects as a driver of sustainable development and ethical finance in poor areas of developed countries.

This chapter aims to estimate the impact of the use of an innovative cultivation method on the social, economic and environmental aspects in the French region Aix-en-Provence, by using the survey data for 200 heterogeneous vegetable producers (organic and conventional). It distinguishes three types of producers in the French region Aix-en-Provence. First, conventional producers (n = 100) who used a high level of mechanization, better access to water, high yield, high labor costs. Second, certified organic producers (n = 70) who used organic technologies such as biotechnology and rotation, low yield, high organic product price compared to conventional products, a family workforce and high transport. Third, noncertified organic producers (n = 30) have used the same technologies as certified organic producers, while they sell their products at the same price as conventional products. Labor is the member of the family. These noncertified farms are marked by high operating and transport costs and low yield compared to conventional producers or certified organic producers. The results show that this cultivation method has a positive effect on the environmental aspect, however a negative one on the social and economic aspect.

The purpose of this study is to examine the financial challenges faced by agricultural enterprises in the Republic of Kosovo. It aims to compare the various forms of financing used in Kosovo with those in European Union (EU) countries. The study seeks to highlight opportunities and challenges with a focus on how they can learn from the experiences of EU countries.

The study is based on responses from agricultural enterprises in both the EU and Kosovo. Data was gathered through a survey conducted with 50 agricultural enterprises in Kosovo, whereas for EU context, information from the 2020 Survey on the Financial Needs and Access to Finance of EU Agricultural Enterprises (provided by EAFRD). Statistical data were processed using the Stata and SPSS programs.

In agriculture sector, loan is the primary form of financing to expand their activities and capacities, whereas financing for agricultural enterprises exhibits a negative relationship with the bureaucratic procedures associated with financing.

The main research’s limitations include the unavailability of official data from the relevant institutions in Kosovo.

A possible implication arising from this research is the reliance of the development of agriculture enterprises on debt.

Due to the lack of comprehensive data in this regard, is unable to analyze the specific impact of gender in financing patterns of these enterprises.

This study provides real data on the current situation of agricultural enterprises in Kosovo. Considering Kosovo’s goal to integrate with the EU, this comparative approach adds significant value to the study.

To maintain the bottom line of food import risk in China, this paper proposes a novel risk state evaluation model based on bottom-line thinking after analyzing the decision-making ideas embedded in the bottom-line thinking method.

First, the order relation analysis method (G1 method) and Laplacian score (LS) are applied to calculate the constant weights of indexes. Then, the worst-case scenario of food import risk can be estimated to strive for the best result, so the penalty state variable weight function is introduced to obtain variable weights of indexes. Finally, the study measures the risk state of China's food import from the overall situation using the set pair analysis (SPA) method and identifies the key factors affecting food import risk.

The risk states of food supply in eight countries are in the state of average potential and partial back potential as a whole. The results indicate that China's food import risks are at medium and upper-medium risk levels in most years, fluctuating slightly from 2010 to 2020. In addition, some factors are diagnosed as the primary control objects for holding the bottom line of food import risk in China, including food output level, food export capacity, bilateral relationship and political risk.

This paper proposes a novel risk state evaluation model following bottom-line thinking for food import risk in China. Besides, SPA is first applied to the risk evaluation of food import, expanding the application field of the SPA method.

This study draws on the conservation of resources logic to theorize the role of firm resilience in explaining variations in entrepreneurial well-being under varying conditions of supply chain disruption and dependency ratio.

The study uses ex-post survey data from 373 women entrepreneurs in diverse agricultural supply chains in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country. Moderated regression analysis is employed to test the research hypotheses.

The results indicate that firm resilience has both positive and negative relationships with economic and subjective well-being, depending on the level of supply chain disruption and dependency ratio women entrepreneurs face. Notably, the findings suggest that firm resilience contributes more to economic and subjective well-being of women entrepreneurs when dependency ratio is low and supply chain disruption is high.

The study integrates firm resilience research and entrepreneurial well-being literature to provide new insights into theorizing and analyzing the benefit of firm resilience for women entrepreneurs’ well-being.

We conducted a systematic review to explore the potential for the application of blockchain technologies for supply chain resilience in a small-scale agri-food business context.

As part of the research methodology, scientific databases such as Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus were used to find relevant articles for this review.

The systematic review of articles (n = 57) found that the use of blockchain technology in the small-scale agri-food business sector can reduce the risk of food fraud by assuring the provenance of food products.

Only a few papers were directly from a small-scale agribusiness context. Key challenges that limit the implementation of blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies include concerns over the disclosure of proprietary information and trade secrets, incomplete or inaccurate information, economic and technical difficulties, low levels of trust in the technology, risk of human error and poor governance of process-related issues.

The application of blockchain technology ensures that the risks and costs associated with non-compliance, product recalls and product loss are reduced. Improved communication and information sharing can increase resilience and better support provenance claims and traceability. Better customer relationships can be built, increasing supply chain efficiency and resilience.