East Asia and the Pacific Region

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. Policy Research Working Paper 6301 This paper explores a rich dataset of monthly firm-level data on the population of exporters of Lao PDR from 2005 to 2010. The survival analysis uses a discrete-time logistic model based on firm-product-destination triplets while accounting for unobserved heterogeneity. It looks in detail at the role played by two important and related determinants of survival: experience and networks. These are particularly relevant for developing countries, where relevant export experience in firms is likely to be limited and networks leveraging it all the more important. The analysis reveals the positive impact This paper is a product of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Sector Department, East Asia and the Pacific Region. It is part of a larger effort by the World Bank to provide open access to its research and make a contribution t