International trade and economic growth in a global environment

The present analysis focuses on one of the central aspects of the current process of globalization, that is the liberalization of trade policy aimed at maximizing the favourable effects that an export expansion can generate on economic growth. It has been considered how the relationship between exports and economic growth changes according to income levels as well as during the various phases of economic growth. <P>It has been found out that integration with the international economy does not seem to constitute a necessary condition in support of the role that an export expansion can play over growth. On the contrary, it has been found out that an increasing international exposure seems to have some negative effects on economic growth. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.