This paper argues that SSA has derived a minimal growth benefit from trade because of what it exports and that the detrimental effect of primary commodity export dependence on SSA growth can be captured by two structural variables, natural barriers to trade (NBT, trade costs) and natural...

Many oil, mineral, and plantation crop-based economies experienced a substantial deceleration in growth following the commodity boom and bust of the 1970s and early 1980s. This article illustrates how countries dependent on point source natural resources (those extracted from a narrow geographic...

Those low-income countries that export non-agricultural commodities are in the midst of a resource transfer. It is undoubtedly the biggest opportunity for transformative development that these societies have experienced, dwarfing both aid and previous commodity booms. To get it in proportion, in...

Many policy makers are concerned about dependence on resource exports. This paper examines four changes that reduce this dependence: (i) accumulation of capital and skills; (ii) changes in protection policy, particularly reductions in the burden of protection on exporters; (iii) differential...

This note, summarizing recent research by Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler, presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of the effects of economic policy and aid on the risks of conflict. It finds that aid and policy do not have direct effects on conflict risk. However, both directly affect...

The work, based on a mathematical model, shows that investment of the additional income into production under reasonable state control, accompanied by moderate inflationary pressure on the consumer market, effects optimal economic growth. The inflationary pressure can to a considerable extent be...

The rapid growth of China and, more recently, of India, is having major effects on every facet of the global economy. The supply of labor-intensive manufactured exports (from China in particular) has been accompanied by a huge expansion in their imports both of raw materials and of...

Many policymakers are concerned about dependence on resource exports. Martin examines four changes that reduce this dependence: (1) accumulation of capital and skills; (2) changes in protection policy, particularly reductions in the burden of protection on exporters;(3) differential rates of...