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Dual Economies and International Total Factor Productivity Differences

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  • Areendam Chanda

    (North Carolina State University)

  • Carl-Johan Dalgaard

    (University of Copenhagen)

Abstract

This paper argues that a significant part of measured TFP differences across countries is attributable not to technological factors that affect the entire economy neutrally, but rather, to variations in the structural composition of economies. In particular, the allocation of scarce inputs between agriculture and non-agriculture seems to be important. We provide a theory which links the institutional framework to the long-run composition of the economy, and thereby to measured TFP and income per worker. A decomposition analysis suggests that between 30 and 50 percent of the international variation in TFP can be attributed to the composition of output. Estimation exercises suggest that recent findings of a conducive effect from institutions, and to some extent, geography, on long-run prosperity and TFP, may be thus explained.

Suggested Citation

  • Areendam Chanda & Carl-Johan Dalgaard, 2003. "Dual Economies and International Total Factor Productivity Differences," Macroeconomics 0305002, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpma:0305002
    Note: Type of Document - Tex; prepared on IBM PC ; to print on Distiller; pages: 43; figures: included
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    Cited by:

    1. Mike Waugh & David Lagakos & Doug Gollin, 2011. "The Agricultural Productivity Gap in Developing Countries," 2011 Meeting Papers 1397, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    2. Tasso Adamopoulos & Diego Restuccia, 2014. "The Size Distribution of Farms and International Productivity Differences," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(6), pages 1667-1697, June.
    3. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2004. "Land Inequality and the Origin of Divergence and Overtaking in the Growth Process," GE, Growth, Math methods 0410004, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Jacob L. Weisdorf, 2006. "From domestic manufacture to Industrial Revolution: long-run growth and agricultural development," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 58(2), pages 264-287, April.
    5. Markus Eberhardt & Francis Teal, 2011. "Econometrics For Grumblers: A New Look At The Literature On Cross‐Country Growth Empirics," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 109-155, February.
    6. Alvarez-Cuadrado, Francisco & Long, Ngo & Poschke, Markus, 2017. "Capital-labor substitution, structural change and growth," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 12(3), September.
    7. Bryan Graham & Jonathan Temple, 2006. "Rich Nations, Poor Nations: How Much Can Multiple Equilibria Explain?," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 5-41, March.
    8. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2009. "Inequality in Landownership, the Emergence of Human-Capital Promoting Institutions, and the Great Divergence," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 76(1), pages 143-179.
    9. Galor, Oded & Moav, Omer & Vollrath, Dietrich, 2003. "Land Inequality and the Origin of Divergence and Overtaking in the Growth Process: Theory and Evidence," CEPR Discussion Papers 3817, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Jaime Alonso-Carrera & Xavier Raurich, 2006. "Growth, Sectoral Composition, and the Wealth of Nations," Working Papers 278, Barcelona School of Economics.
    11. Dietrich Vollrath, 2009. "The dual economy in long-run development," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 287-312, December.
    12. Cai, Wenbiao, 2010. "Skill Investment, Farm Size Distribution and Agricultural Productivity," MPRA Paper 26439, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Restuccia, Diego & Yang, Dennis Tao & Zhu, Xiaodong, 2008. "Agriculture and aggregate productivity: A quantitative cross-country analysis," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 234-250, March.
    14. World Bank Group, 2016. "Malaysia Economic Monitor, December 2016," World Bank Publications - Reports 25857, The World Bank Group.
    15. Jonathan Temple & Ludger Wößmann, 2006. "Dualism and cross-country growth regressions," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 187-228, September.
    16. John Landon-Lane & Peter Robertson, 2005. "A Note on Barriers to Capital Accumulation and Income," Departmental Working Papers 200509, Rutgers University, Department of Economics.
    17. Douglas Gollin & David Lagakos & Michael E. Waugh, 2014. "The Agricultural Productivity Gap," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 129(2), pages 939-993.
    18. Fuentes, Raúl & Mishra, Tapas & Scavia, Javier & Parhi, Mamata, 2014. "On optimal long-term relationship between TFP, institutions, and income inequality under embodied technical progress," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 89-100.
    19. Carl-Johan, Dalgaard & Henrik, Hansen, 2010. "Evaluating Aid Effectiveness in the Aggregate: A critical assessment of the evidence," MPRA Paper 23026, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Benos, Christos & Angelopoulou, Ioanna & Metaxas, Theodore, 2017. "“Decentralization” of income per capita and its relationship to administrative decentralization in the context of European Union members," MPRA Paper 78777, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    21. Areendam Chanda & Beatrice Farkas, 2012. "Appropriate Technology, Human Capital and Development Accounting," Departmental Working Papers 2012-03, Department of Economics, Louisiana State University.
    22. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2005. "Land Inequality and the Emergence of Human Capital Promoting Institutions," Development and Comp Systems 0502018, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    23. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2005. "The Emergence of Human Capital Promoting Institutions in the Process of Development," GE, Growth, Math methods 0508008, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Dual Economy; Structural Change; Total Factor Productivity; Institutions; Geography;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • O50 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - General

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