{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,13]],"date-time":"2026-03-13T20:17:54Z","timestamp":1773433074213,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,2]],"date-time":"2021-09-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1630540800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Economies"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This research examines the relationship of Export Promotion Programs (EPPs), sponsored by a Portuguese Regional Association for Development on Trade and Industry, with firms\u2019 export performance. To investigate this, two models were applied using panel data analyses that relate export performance to variables such as participation in EPPs, age and size of firms. Data on 198 firms for the sampling period 2010 and 2018 was drawn from a Portuguese Regional Development Association and SABI (Iberian Balance sheet Analysis System) database. The results show that participation in EPPs does have a positive influence on the export performance of firms, especially for those firms with previous export experience, demonstrating the importance of using these programs. Findings also document that firm size relates positively export performance, whereas firms age show a negative effect on export performance, suggesting that larger firms with more resources positively influence exports and an increase in firms\u2019 age may increase their cultural inertia, inability to change strategies, decreasing their export performance, respectively. Finally, the participation in EPPs seems not to influence export performance for firms without previous export experience. The research contributes to the literature providing evidence on the role of EPP on firms\u2019 export performance behavior promoted by regional development associations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/economies9030127","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,6]],"date-time":"2021-09-06T23:55:22Z","timestamp":1630972522000},"page":"127","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Impact of Export Promotion Programs on Export Performance"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Jorge","family":"Mota","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism, GOVCOPP\u2014Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"},{"name":"CICEE\u2014Research Center in Business and Economics, UAL, 1169-023 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6613-8796","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ant\u00f3nio","family":"Moreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism, GOVCOPP\u2014Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Alexandra","family":"Alves","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"383","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ibusrev.2004.01.002","article-title":"Sources of Export Success in Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises: The Impact of Public Programmes","volume":"13","author":"Alvarez","year":"2004","journal-title":"International Business Review"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"38","DOI":"10.1016\/j.evalprogplan.2014.05.005","article-title":"Insights into Public Export Promotion Programmes in an Emerging Economy: The Case of Malaysian SMEs","volume":"46","author":"Ayob","year":"2014","journal-title":"Evaluation and Programme Planning"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1177\/014920639101700108","article-title":"Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage","volume":"17","author":"Barney","year":"1991","journal-title":"Journal of Management"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"38","DOI":"10.1016\/j.evalprogplan.2013.07.002","article-title":"An economic evaluation of public programmes for internationalization: The case of the Diagnostic programme in Spain","volume":"41","author":"Cansino","year":"2013","journal-title":"Evaluation and Programme Planning"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"547","DOI":"10.1007\/s40888-019-00170-8","article-title":"Are export promotion programmes effective in promoting the internalization of SMEs?","volume":"37","author":"Comi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Economia Pol\u00edtica"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"242","DOI":"10.1504\/IJGSB.2012.049253","article-title":"Effective Targeting of National Export Promotion Programmes for SMEs","volume":"4","author":"Coudounaris","year":"2012","journal-title":"International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1108\/RIBS-06-2017-0050","article-title":"Export Promotion Programmes for Assisting SMEs","volume":"28","author":"Coudounaris","year":"2018","journal-title":"Review of International Business and Strategy"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.1080\/0267257X.1992.9964179","article-title":"UK Export Assistance: Are we Supporting the Best Programmes?","volume":"8","author":"Crick","year":"1992","journal-title":"Journal of Marketing Management"},{"key":"ref_9","first-page":"58","article-title":"Promotion Agencies and SMEs\u2019 Internationalization Process: A Blessing or a Curse?","volume":"16","author":"Dominguez","year":"2018","journal-title":"Journal of International Entrepreneurship"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Duygulu, Ethem, Ozeren, Emir, I\u015f\u0131ldar, P\u0131nar, and Appolloni, Andrea (2016). 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