Policy Insights

Policy Insight 15: The Happy Few: New Facts About the Internationalisation of European Firms

• Thierry Mayer Gianmarco Ottaviano
7 Nov 2007

Across several European countries there is a striking consistency in the finding that the firms involved in international activities are few in number, bigger and more productive than other firms. This scarcity is the single most important constraint on European performance in trade and FDI.