A problematization review of export assistance: Debates and future directions

Abstract

This review problematizes literature on export assistance, one of the oldest and most significant topics in export research. Problematization embraces selective but broad literature, reflexivity, hermeneutical reading of text, and inclusion of the author’s voice. The sample comprises 95 studies published between 1968 and 2022. The review makes two critical contributions. First, it offers a synopsis of extant knowledge through an organizing framework which highlights the roles of governments, export promotion agencies, foreign trade offices and trade support institutions, in the design and deployment of onshore and offshore export assistance. In so doing, the review demonstrates that scholarship on export assistance can be summarized in four I’s – impetus, interventions, initiatives, and impact. Second, it uses two-sided non-refutational arguments to elaborate that while export assistance is possibly the most mature construct in export research, there are numerous unresolved questions. The areas of debate offer a platform for guiding practice and for setting an agenda for future studies.