1. Comments of Oleh Havrylyshyn
EXPORTS AND PRODUCTIVITY LINK IN MANUFACTURING : MICRO EVIDENCE FROM CROATIA: by Gorana Lukinic Cardic
Comments of Oleh Havrylyshyn
For YES presentation
June 23, 2010, Dubrovnik,

2. WHAT IS MOST INTERESTING AND USEFUL ?
VERY GOOD USE OF A LARGE MICRO-DATA BASE
IMPORTANT QUESTION ASKED : DO FIRMS EXPORT BECAUSE THEY HAVE HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY ? (self-selection SS) or DO FIRMS IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY BY EXPORTING ? (learning by exporting : LBE); or BOTH ?
UNCONVENTIONAL CONCLUSION: NOT STRONG EVIDENCE OF SS; BETTER EVIDENCE OF LBE

3. SOME UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
DESPITE SEVERAL GOOD ROBUSTNESS TESTS ONE STILL WONDERS IF MORE TESTS NEEDED; e.g. AS AUTHOR NOTES IN LAST PARAGRAPH: TFP; LONGER TIME-PERIOD, ETC.
WHY IS CONCLUSION ALMOST OPPOSITE OF EARLIER STUDIES , AS IN Sec. 4 Lit. review? IS THERE A UNIQUENESS TO CROATIA, AND IF SO WHAT IS IT?

4. ROBUSTNESS
GIVEN CONCLUSION IT IS ESP. IMPORTANT TO BE COMFORTABLE WITH ROBUSTNESS
ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS : WHY NOT DO TFP INSTEAD OF LABOR PRODUCTIVITY ?
RESULTS MAY BE PARTICULAR TO THE TIME PERIOD: TRANSITION, NORMALIZING POST-YUG. TRADE RELATIONS – IS THERE PRE-1990 DATA?
OTHER POSSIBILITIES MENTIONED IN LAST PARAGRAPH OF PAPER (WHICH ITSELF SUGGESTS AUTHOR ALSO NOT FULLY COMFORTABLE WITH ROBUSTNESS)

5. IS CROATIA UNIQUE?HOW?
MUST EXPLAIN RESULT , AT LEAST SPECULATE WHY HR DIFFERENT
IF EXPORT DECISION NOT DUE TO HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY , WHAT IS THE REASON?
COULD IT BE RANDOM? POSSIBLE THEORETICALLY, BUT IMPLAUSIBLE
HISTORICAL INERTIA? FIRMS THAT EXPORTED TO OTHER YUG. BEFORE 1990 RESTART EXPORTS? CLUE ON p.4-exports intensified to neighbors!! (N.B. FSU AFTER 2000 SIMILAR)
CAN AUTHOR GIVE US SOME OTHER POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS?