DETERMINANTS OF GROWTH RATE: SOME METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES WITH DATA FROM FIJI

Compared to many cross-country studies on the determinants of growth rate, time series approaches are relatively few and limited in scope. However, time series studies are useful for country-specific policies. But in many recent works ad hoc specifications have been used to analyze the contribution of various factors to growth. This paper examines the specification and estimation issues in the time series approach and provides some guidelines. Our approach is used to illustrate the effects of trade openness on the growth rate of Fiji.