This paper examines the association between high-growth firm status and global linkages with special focus on the role of imports. We rely on a rich panel data covering all formal firms in Tunisia between 1999 and 2015. Our results show that firms that import, export, have foreigner ownership, or benefit from offshore regimes are more likely to achieve high-growth status compared to other similar firms in terms of size, age, sector, and region. Among these channels, importing status has a robust positive association with high growth. We find that an increase in the import barriers led by changes in non-tariff measures reduces the likelihood of achieving high-growth status through import channel for firms that are in sectors facing relatively higher levels of exposure to the shock.

本文研究了高增长企业地位与全球联系之间的关联，特别关注进口的作用。我们依赖于涵盖 1999 年至 2015 年间突尼斯所有正规公司的丰富面板数据。我们的结果表明，与其他类似企业相比，进口、出口、拥有外国人所有权或受益于离岸制度的公司更有可能实现高增长状态。公司的规模、年龄、部门和地区。在这些渠道中，进口状况与高增长呈正相关。我们发现，非关税措施的变化导致进口壁垒的增加，降低了那些面临相对较高水平冲击的行业的公司通过进口渠道实现高增长状态的可能性。