Supporting SMEs to Become Successful Exporters through Good Exporting Practices in Argentina

The Good Exporting Practices program in Argentina aims to increase the success in the foreign markets of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through supporting better practices in 7 core areas: i) strategy, ii) identification and segmentation of markets, iii) design and adaptation of the product, iv) production, v) communication, vi) distribution, and vii) administration. The Good Exporting Practices program targets firms that produce differentiated food products in various geographical regions in Argentina. This evaluation aims to implement a randomly controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate an innovative export program based on provision of: i) information about current export business practices relative to good practices through an in-depth diagnostic; ii) provision of a specific support through consultant to fill the gaps identified by the diagnostic. This impact evaluation seeks to address the question of whether the adoption of good exporting practices leads to better export performance. The evidence from this evaluation will be crucial to export promotion agencies, but also to Governments interested in supporting the diversification of their economies and promoting the entry of SMEs into export markets.