Export
PromotionExport
Promotion...As a Tool of Economic Development Policy in State and Local Government Planning
Overview I Export Promotion Program Elements I Program Evaluation
Federal Export Assistance Program links I Assorted State & City Program links I North Carolina Program Links
This page was constructed in support of the Economic Development Program
in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
Please Note: Mention of export promotion programs at the federal, state or local level on
these pages does not constitute a statement of endorsement or preference on the part of
faculty, administration, students or any affiliates of the Department or University.
Export promotion has been a popular strategy for promoting economic development growth in state and local economies since the 1930's. Particularly at the state level, public officials have sought to raise the profile of a region in international trade networks and global emerging markets with programs of trade assistance and business support to local businesses, usually in multiple sectors of the economy. The enhancement of a firm's competitiveness promises in the best cases to contribute to area employment and income growth, with associated linkages to related supplier and product companies, area infratructure and educational institution growth and so on throughout the economy. In less successful instances, such programs fall prey to accusations of political favor, and the instability of the whims of succeeding directors.
Trade assistance programs tend to be in part targetted to the small and medium-sized firm, following the theory that larger firms tend to already have the resources, personnel and aggressiveness to explore their export potential on their own. The extent of industry and regional analysis determines the goals and focus appropriate for an export assitance program.
State and regional planners design programs according to their analysis of the export potential supported in their local business makeup, and subject to the budget and personnel constraints at their disposal. A review of Export Promotion Program Elements, such as trade shows and missions, export counselling, and market research, provides an introduction to the decisions trade assistance officials make. It is also useful to review and to look at the Federal level resources a planner can also access, while making sure to avoid designing a program which overlaps the elements federal assistance centers in the area have chosen to provide. Thus sections have been included here for the reader to examine Federal Export Assistance Program links and Assorted State & City Program links .
One useful overview of current issues in export promotion programming - written with the state and city economic planner in mind - can be obtained at the website of the 1997 annual conference of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives(ACCE). As one of the three topics at this international trade conference, the Export Promotion topic page includes essays on trade assistance, regional trade issues, and a very thorough Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ) page that details in depth the issues and resources set up on a national level in the United States to aid in export assistance efforts. In addition, its showcase of the Charlotte North Carolina Export Promotion program provides a useful showcase of one city's choices in trade assistance programming
Examples of export promotion success stories abound, but analysis of this success has been inconsistent and problematic. Some have argued that the diversity between regions, whether in relation to industry makeup, access to input suppliers companies and shipping port facilities, or simple proximity to export markets, make it essentially impossible to compare export promotion programs. It is also true that effective measurement and evaluation structures have not been applied consistently among programs. Too often, the follow-up to assistance services and events is not completed.
In addition, the conceptual links between export activity of firms, trade promotion program activities and regional economic growth have not been clearly established. A recent literature review offers some orientation to these difficulties in economic analysis and program evaluation.
One of the most recent source papers for that review, entitled "State Export Promotion and Small Business" is also available on the web. This 1993 paper was authored by Charles Cadwell, director of the Center for International Business Education and Research(CIBER) at University of Maryland at College park
Webpage Authored by Heidi Clark
and
Maintained by Economic Development Program
Department of City and Regional Planning
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina