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Development, Structure, and Transformation: Some Evidence on Comparative Economic Growth

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  • Gordon C. McCord
  • Jeffrey D. Sachs

Abstract

We suggest that the geographical patterns of income differences across the world have deep underpinnings. We emphasize that economic development is a complex process driven by economic, political, social, and biophysical forces. Some economists have argued that the patterns reflect mainly the historical footprint of colonial rule and political evolution, and that geography's effects on development occurred exclusively through its effects on this historical institutional development. We believe that economic development has also been shaped very importantly by the biophysical and geophysical characteristics of economies. Per capita incomes differ around the world in no small part because of sharp differences across regions in the natural resource base and physical geography (e.g. distance to coast), and by the amplification of those differences through the dynamics of saving and investment. We posit that the drivers of economic development include institutions, technology, and geography, and that none of these alone is sufficient to account for the diverse patterns of global growth. We survey the relevant literature, and empirically show that a multi-causal framework helps to explain when countries achieve middle income; the distribution of economic activity around the world today; the patterns of growth between 1960 and 2010; the patterns of income per person within large economies; and the structural characteristics of the remaining countries still stuck in poverty today.

Suggested Citation

  • Gordon C. McCord & Jeffrey D. Sachs, 2013. "Development, Structure, and Transformation: Some Evidence on Comparative Economic Growth," NBER Working Papers 19512, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:19512
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    2. Peter Lloyd & Cassey Lee, 2018. "A Review Of The Recent Literature On The Institutional Economics Analysis Of The Long†Run Performance Of Nations," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 1-22, February.
    3. Canavire-Bacarreza, Gustavo & Martinez-Vazquez, Jorge & Yedgenov, Bauyrzhan, 2020. "Identifying and disentangling the impact of fiscal decentralization on economic growth," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    4. Elizabeth Gooch & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez & Bauyrzhan Yedgenov, 2016. "A Superior Instrument for the Role of Institutional Quality on Economic Development," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper1610, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    5. Barrett,Christopher B. & Sheahan,Megan Britney & Barrett,Christopher B. & Sheahan,Megan Britney, 2014. "Understanding the agricultural input landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa : recent plot, household, and community-level evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7014, The World Bank.
    6. Valentina A Assenova & Matthew Regele, 2017. "Revisiting the effect of colonial institutions on comparative economic development," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, May.
    7. Muraközy, László, 2015. "A fejlesztő állam megszületése, virágzása és hanyatlása Japánban. A racionális szamurájoktól az abenomicsig [The birth, flowering and decline of the Japanese developmental state. From rational samu," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(2), pages 172-199.
    8. Panteli Maria & Delipalla Sofia, 2022. "The Impact of Institutions on Economic and Environmental Performance: Evidence From Europe," South East European Journal of Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 17(2), pages 125-141, December.
    9. Jinfeng Luo & Yi Wen, 2015. "Institutions Do Not Rule: Reassessing the Driving Forces of Economic Development," Working Papers 2015-1, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
    10. Vote, Camilla & Eberbach, Philip & Inthavong, Thavone & Lampayan, Rubenito M. & Vongthilard, Somsamay & Wade, Len J., 2019. "Quantification of an overlooked water resource in the tropical rainfed lowlands using RapidEye satellite data: A case of farm ponds and the potential gross value for smallholder production in southern," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 111-118.
    11. Ketels Christian, 2017. "Working Paper 258 - Structural Transformation: A competitiveness-based view," Working Paper Series 2369, African Development Bank.
    12. Papanek, Gábor & Némethné Pál, Katalin, 2013. "Daron Acemoglu-James A. Robinson: Miért buknak el nemzetek? A hatalom, a jólét és a szegénység eredete. HVG könyvek, HVG Kiadói Rt., Budapest, 2013, 520 oldal [Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson: Wh," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(11), pages 1278-1281.
    13. Peter Lloyd & Cassey Lee, 2016. "A Review of the Recent Literature on the Institutional Economics Analysis of the Long-Run Performance of Nations," Department of Economics - Working Papers Series 2019, The University of Melbourne.
    14. Guanchun Liu & Chien-Chiang Lee & Yuanyuan Liu, 2020. "Growth path heterogeneity across provincial economies in China: the role of geography versus institutions," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 503-546, August.
    15. Kevin Williams, 2015. "Foreign direct investment in Latin America and the Caribbean: an empirical analysis," Latin American Journal of Economics-formerly Cuadernos de Economía, Instituto de Economía. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile., vol. 52(1), pages 57-77, May.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • O4 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity

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