Import Levels of the Developing Countries

The preceding four chapters have dealt with per capita import levels of the industrialized nations of the world. Wealth and size explained significant portions of their per capita imports, and memberships in customs unions and trade areas also had some explanatory value. It was also clear that other factors, including protectionist activities and the presence of local producers, influenced the level of imports. Domestic policies in the industrialized countries were clearly important impediments to imports, including the levels of imports of manufactured goods that have been such a large portion of trade among industrialized states. By way of comparison, the present chapter considered total per capita imports and per capita imports of manufactured products in the developing world to determine whether similar factors influenced imports of the developing countries and whether similar patterns of revealed protection were obvious in the developing world or whether the import patterns for these countries were different.