Herrero Alba, DanielRial Quiroga, Adrián2024-02-052024-02-052023Herrero, Daniel, y Adrián Rial. «Labor Costs, KIBS, and Export Performance: A Comparative Analysis of Germany and Mediterranean Economies». Structural Change and Economic Dynamics 65 (junio de 2023): 184-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2023.02.013.0954-349X10.1016/j.strueco.2023.02.013https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/98932Following the onset of the Eurozone crisis, Mediterranean economies (Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain) followed the example set by Germany, implementing structural reforms with the aim of restraining labor costs and transitioning to export-led growth. Using input–output tables, this paper analyzes the role of labor costs and nonprice factors in the export performance of the manufacturing sectors in these Mediterranean economies and in Germany. We estimate an export model taking subsystems as units of analysis, permitting us to consider how the productive linkages between manufacturing and services affect export growth. Our results show that the effect of labor costs on export performance has been negligible in these five economies, while non-price factors stand out as the main drivers of export growth. In addition, we find that the development of stronger linkages between knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) and manufacturing provides a substantial stimulus for non-price competitiveness.engjournal articlehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2023.02.013https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0954349X23000255https://www.ucm.es/icei/file/herrero_rial_2022_labor_costs_kibs_export_performancerestricted accessJ30L60L84O52P51Knowledge-intensive business servicesSubsystem approachCompetitivenessUnit labor costsEuropeEconomía internacionalEstructura económica5305.03 Sistemas Económicos Comparados5310.91 Economía Internacional: Área Europea5312 Economía Sectorial