A Century of Economic Growth in Latin America

This paper makes a contribution to the study of economic growth in developing countries by analysing the six largest Latin American economies over 105 years within a two-equation framework. Confirming previous findings, physical and human capital prove to be key determinants of GDP per capita growth. However, a more controver- sial result is an overall negative conditional correlation between trade openness and GDP per head growth – though openness has a positive link via investment. The evi- dence also shows that macroeconomic instability has been a drag on long-term growth in the region.