Loughborough University
Project details
This PhD seeks to advance our research agenda on commercial diplomacy as a state – business mechanism that enables firm-level internationalisation, particularly for the UK SMEs navigating post-Brexit trade environments.
Export promotion agencies (EPAs), including embassies, consulates, and specialised commercial diplomacy (CD) units, have become an increasingly prominent instrument through which governments seek to stimulate international trade.
Over the past two decades, a substantial empirical literature, particularly within the gravity-model tradition, has examined the extent to which such diplomatic presences increase bilateral export flows. More recent gravity extensions incorporating firm-level heterogeneity, extensive–intensive margin decompositions, and dyadic fixed effects similarly document positive export impacts across a range of country and product contexts. Taken together, these findings suggest that CD plays a consistent and measurable role in shaping export performance and internationalisation.
The researcher will undertake a mixed-method approach to examine the effect of CD on firm internationalisation. A strong knowledge of statistics is required. Selected interviews are to be undertaken in combination with an analysis of secondary data.
The supervisory team is actively engaged in this ongoing research project, including related collaborations with industry and policy stakeholders.
The supervisory team is multi-disciplinary and will include:
- Professor Anna Grosman, Professor in Management and Entrepreneurship, Loughborough University London
- Dr Elena Georgiadou, Senior Lecturer in International Management, Loughborough Business School
- Dr Huw Edwards, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Loughborough Business School
Entry requirements
Our entry requirements are listed using standard UK undergraduate degree classifications i.e. first-class honours, upper second-class honours and lower second-class honours. To learn the equivalent for your country, please choose it from the drop-down below.
To apply for this job please visit www.lboro.ac.uk.