Measuring the Gains from Government Export Promotion

Reports the findings of first academic study in an area of marketing importance and interest to both exporters and governments. Determines that the research's main thrust is concerned with finding a new quantitative method of establishing value or utility of official export services. States that co‐operation between exporters and government officials is essential for exporting success and one way to build co‐operation is to show, unequivocally, the value or utility of government export promotion. Documents that the Irish and Canadian governments have carried out cost‐benefit analysis which, ostensibly, provides a quantitative estimate in monetary terms both with respect to total operation and individual programmes, these results are discussed further. Uses user research to put together data, and to add weight, figures and tables are employed. Insists UK government export promotion services, like several others, are not subject to the market price mechanism, services are free (mostly), some havenominal cost, others offer a subsidy. Concludes that the only feasible area for quantitative measurement is user research, as for every £1 spent by government on export turnover, £21 was gained.