Scholarlink

<p>While international knowledge transfer drives structural transformation, the diffusion of tacit knowledge—the complex skills and procedures essential for sophisticated production—remains constrained by the need for face-to-face interaction. This paper identifies outbound business travel as a distinct channel for overcoming this friction. Exploiting a panel of 113 countries (1995–2020) and a System GMM framework to address endogeneity, I document a robust positive association between business travel and economic complexity. I show that this relationship is conditional on domestic political institutions: the returns to travel are amplified in inclusive, open political environments but vanish in highly centralized systems. Furthermore, I find evidence of diminishing marginal returns, suggesting that the benefits of travel moderate as connectivity channels saturate. I conclude that inclusive institutions function as a critical “absorptive filter” mechanism, enabling the tacit knowledge acquired abroad to translate effectively into national productive capabilities.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Business travel, institutions, and economic complexity

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月17日

查看全文
  • Imran Arif

摘要

While international knowledge transfer drives structural transformation, the diffusion of tacit knowledge—the complex skills and procedures essential for sophisticated production—remains constrained by the need for face-to-face interaction. This paper identifies outbound business travel as a distinct channel for overcoming this friction. Exploiting a panel of 113 countries (1995–2020) and a System GMM framework to address endogeneity, I document a robust positive association between business travel and economic complexity. I show that this relationship is conditional on domestic political institutions: the returns to travel are amplified in inclusive, open political environments but vanish in highly centralized systems. Furthermore, I find evidence of diminishing marginal returns, suggesting that the benefits of travel moderate as connectivity channels saturate. I conclude that inclusive institutions function as a critical “absorptive filter” mechanism, enabling the tacit knowledge acquired abroad to translate effectively into national productive capabilities.