This paper investigates whether internationally recognized quality certifications can
facilitate firms in developing countries to penetrate the export markets, a typical
challenge owing mainly to information asymmetries on product quality. Applying a
multi-level regression approach that controls for endogeneity to the 2006-2013 firmlevel
and national-level data for 111 developing countries primarily from the World
Bank Enterprise Survey, results indicated that adopting ISO certifications enable firms
in developing nations to enter foreign markets. This underscores the importance of
policymakers in developing countries to encourage their domestic firms to acquire
internationally recognized certificates for both the firm’s and the nation’s growth.