Does managerial ability contribute to export product quality upgrading? Evidence from China

This study investigated the impact of managerial ability on the quality of exported products. Consistent with our theoretical findings, our empirical results indicate that managerial ability positively affects export product quality. This finding is robust to alternative model specifications. Productivity is the main channel through which managerial ability drives export product quality upgrades. Additionally, the quality-driven effect of managerial ability is significant only for the largest and non-state-owned enterprises. Improvement in the institutional environment quality strengthens the quality-driven effect of managerial ability.