This review problematizes literature on export assistance, one of the oldest and most significant topics in export research. Problematization embraces selective but broad literature, reflexivity, hermeneutical reading of text, and inclusion of the author’s voice. The sample comprises 95 studies published between 1968 and 2022. The review makes two critical contributions. First, it offers a synopsis of extant knowledge through an organizing framework which highlights the roles of governments, export promotion agencies, foreign trade offices and trade support institutions, in the design and deployment of onshore and offshore export assistance. In so doing, the review demonstrates that scholarship on export assistance can be summarized in four I’s – impetus, interventions, initiatives, and impact. Second, it uses two-sided non-refutational arguments to elaborate that while export assistance is possibly the most mature construct in export research, there are numerous unresolved questions. The areas of debate offer a platform for guiding practice and for setting an agenda for future studies.

这篇综述对出口援助文献提出了问题，这是出口研究中最古老、最重要的主题之一。问题化包括选择性但广泛的文献、反思性、文本的解释性阅读以及作者的声音。该样本包含 1968 年至 2022 年间发表的 95 项研究。该综述做出了两项重要贡献。首先，它通过一个组织框架概述了现有知识，强调了政府、出口促进机构、外贸办公室和贸易支持机构在设计和部署境内和离岸出口援助中的作用。在此过程中，审查表明出口援助学术可以概括为四个 I：推动力、干预措施、举措和影响。其次，它使用双向的非反驳论点来阐述，虽然出口援助可能是出口研究中最成熟的概念，但仍有许多未解决的问题。辩论领域为指导实践和制定未来研究议程提供了平台。