IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ecorec/v76y2000i235p343-353.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Diminished Returns? Growth and Investment in East Asia

Author

Listed:
  • PETER E. ROBERTSON

Abstract

This paper investigates the investment‐led growth hypothesis for the newly industrialized economies of East Asia. Using numerical simulations and a neoclassical model, it is shown that the revolution in investment rates only explains about 30 per cent of the growth of GDP per worker. In contrast, productivity growth and improvements in labour quality, explain around half the growth of GDP per ‐worker. This reflects the effects of productivity growth on capital accumulation. Contrary to recent growth‐accounting studies, the results suggest that understanding the sources of productivity growth in East Asia will provide the most useful lessons for other developing economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter E. Robertson, 2000. "Diminished Returns? Growth and Investment in East Asia," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 76(235), pages 343-353, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecorec:v:76:y:2000:i:235:p:343-353
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-4932.2000.tb00031.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4932.2000.tb00031.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1475-4932.2000.tb00031.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-1037, October.
    2. Malcolm Dowling & Peter M. Summers, 1998. "Total Factor Productivity and Economic Growth–Issues for Asia," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 74(225), pages 170-185, June.
    3. Robert M. Solow, 1956. "A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 70(1), pages 65-94.
    4. Young, Alwyn, 1994. "Lessons from the East Asian NICS: A contrarian view," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(3-4), pages 964-973, April.
    5. repec:bla:ecorec:v:74:y:1998:i:225:p:170-85 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Caselli, Francesco & Esquivel, Gerardo & Lefort, Fernando, 1996. "Reopening the Convergence Debate: A New Look at Cross-Country Growth Empirics," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 1(3), pages 363-389, September.
    7. N. Gregory Mankiw & David Romer & David N. Weil, 1992. "A Contribution to the Empirics of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 107(2), pages 407-437.
    8. Alwyn Young, 1998. "Alternative Estimates of Productivity Growth in the NICs: A Comment on the Findings of Chang-Tai Hsieh," NBER Working Papers 6657, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Dowrick, Steve, 1992. "Technological Catch Up and Diverging Incomes: Patterns of Economic Growth 1960-88," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 102(412), pages 600-610, May.
    10. Robertson, Peter E, 1999. "Economic Growth and the Return to Capital in Developing Economies," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 51(4), pages 577-594, October.
    11. Dani Rodrik & Tain-Jy Chen, 1998. "TFPG Controversies, Institutions and Economic Performance in East Asia," International Economic Association Series, in: Yujiro Hayami & Masahiko Aoki (ed.), The Institutional Foundations of East Asian Economic Development, chapter 4, pages 79-105, Palgrave Macmillan.
    12. Alwyn Young, 1995. "The Tyranny of Numbers: Confronting the Statistical Realities of the East Asian Growth Experience," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(3), pages 641-680.
    13. Peter J. Klenow & Andrés Rodríguez-Clare, 1997. "The Neoclassical Revival in Growth Economics: Has It Gone Too Far?," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1997, Volume 12, pages 73-114, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Mr. Abdelhak S Senhadji, 1999. "Sources of Economic Growth: An Extensive Growth Accounting Exercise," IMF Working Papers 1999/077, International Monetary Fund.
    15. Susan M. Collins & Barry P. Bosworth, 1996. "Economic Growth in East Asia: Accumulation versus Assimilation," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 27(2), pages 135-204.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Temple, Jonathan, 2001. "Growing into Trouble: Indonesia After 1966," CEPR Discussion Papers 2932, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Mr. Olaf Unteroberdoerster & Roberto Guimarães-Filho, 2006. "What’s Driving Private Investment in Malaysia? Aggregate Trends and Firm-Level Evidence," IMF Working Papers 2006/190, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Ramzi, Knani & Asma, Madouri & Chebbi, Ali, 2017. "Growth, fluctuations and macroeconomic policies: Evidence from Arab open economies," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 132-146.
    4. Anaman, Kwabena A., 2004. "Determinants of economic growth in Brunei Darussalam," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 777-796, August.
    5. Nguyen, Canh Phuc & Su, Thanh Dinh, 2021. "Economic integration and economic complexity: The role of basic resources in absorptive capability in 40 selected developing countries," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 609-625.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. William Easterly & Ross Levine, 2002. "It´s Not Factor Accumulation: Stylized Facts and Growth Models," Central Banking, Analysis, and Economic Policies Book Series, in: Norman Loayza & Raimundo Soto & Norman Loayza (Series Editor) & Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel (Series Editor) (ed.),Economic Growth: Sources, Trends, and Cycles, edition 1, volume 6, chapter 3, pages 061-114, Central Bank of Chile.
    2. Robin Grier, 2003. "Toothless Tigers? East Asian Economic Growth from 1960 to 1990," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(3), pages 392-405, August.
    3. Bayraktar-Sağlam, Bahar & Yetkiner, Hakan, 2014. "A Romerian contribution to the empirics of economic growth," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 257-272.
    4. Koopman, Eline & Wacker, Konstantin M., 2023. "Drivers of growth accelerations: What role for capital accumulation?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    5. Jones, C.I., 2016. "The Facts of Economic Growth," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & Harald Uhlig (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 3-69, Elsevier.
    6. Klenow, Peter J. & Rodriguez-Clare, Andres, 1997. "Economic growth: A review essay," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 597-617, December.
    7. Robert W. Arnold, 2003. "Modeling Long-Run Economic Growth: Technical Paper 2003-04," Working Papers 14497, Congressional Budget Office.
    8. Juan Jung, 2012. "Externalities and Absorptive Capacity in a context of Spatial Dependence: The case of European Regions," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 2212, Department of Economics - dECON.
    9. Jakob B. Madsen* & Md. Rabiul Islam, 2012. "The Anatomy of the Asian Take-off," Institutions and Economies (formerly known as International Journal of Institutions and Economies), Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya, vol. 4(2), pages 1-24, July.
    10. ?gel de la Fuente, "undated". "Convergence Across Countries And Regions: Theory And Empirics," UFAE and IAE Working Papers 447.00, Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica (UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC).
    11. Gancia, Gino & Zilibotti, Fabrizio, 2005. "Horizontal Innovation in the Theory of Growth and Development," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 3, pages 111-170, Elsevier.
    12. Chad Turner & Robert Tamura & Sean Mulholland, 2013. "How important are human capital, physical capital and total factor productivity for determining state economic growth in the United States, 1840–2000?," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 319-371, December.
    13. Erich Gundlach, 2005. "Solow vs. Solow: Notes on Identification and Interpretation in the Empirics of Growth and Development," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 141(3), pages 541-556, October.
    14. Diego Romero-Ávila, 2013. "Is Physical Investment The Key To China'S Growth Miracle?," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(4), pages 1948-1971, October.
    15. Capolupo, Rosa, 2009. "The New Growth Theories and Their Empirics after Twenty Years," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 3, pages 1-72.
    16. Malcolm Dowling & Peter M. Summers, 1998. "Total Factor Productivity and Economic Growth–Issues for Asia," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 74(225), pages 170-185, June.
    17. Adele Bergin & Ide Kearney, 2004. "Human Capital, The Labour Market and Productivity Growth in Ireland," Papers WP158, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    18. Abu-Qarn, Aamer S. & Abu-Bader, Suleiman, 2007. "Sources of Growth Revisited: Evidence from Selected MENA Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 752-771, May.
    19. Stephanie Seguino, 2000. "Accounting for Gender in Asian Economic Growth," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(3), pages 27-58.
    20. Abu-Qarn, Aamer & Abu-Bader, Suleiman, 2005. "A Versus K Revisited: Evidence from Selected MENA Countries," MPRA Paper 1114, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:ecorec:v:76:y:2000:i:235:p:343-353. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/esausea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.