Following Solow's (2001) recent advice, this paper takes productivity as the left-hand-side variable and offers a cross-country analysis of its determinants. The analysis follows the two-stage methodology, the first of which is devoted to obtaining productivity estimates, and the second stage is...

This paper reviews new growth theories (NGT) from the perspective of developing countries. It shows that despite some views to the contrary, NGT and the growth debate that it spawned have some useful lessons for developing countries. Some of these lessons and ideas were indeed available from...

This paper applies the sequential Malmquist index to calculate multi-lateral, multi-factor productivity (MFP) indices for agriculture in 16 regions of Bangladesh from 1964 to 1992 and examines convergence amongst regions. Productivity grew at an average rate of 0.9% per annum, led by regions...

“Growth is good for the poor” is a ubiquitous statement and one generally backed by theory, research and history. In the long-run, growth reduces poverty. Yet, growth in output - per se - is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for poverty reduction in the short-term. The paper...

We extend the methods developed by Hausmann and Klinger (2006) to measure and compare the dynamics of a country’s structural transformation and apply the methods to China, Malaysia, and Ghana over the period 1962–2000. The results show that the rate of structural transformation is...

Most of the study of causal relationship of GDP or growth with Trade and Foreign Direct Investment in the context of India rely on cross country comparisons, or simple correlations/regressions disregarding nonstationarity properties, or at most on VAR or VECM or Johansen-Juselius cointegration...

Technological diffusion is mainly measured by the impact of Foreign Direct Investment presence on Total Factor Productivity or on a number of constructed output related indices. We apply an alternative process where the influx of more advanced technology introduced by foreign firms alters the...

The main objective of this paper is to estimate the output elasticity of foreign direct investment (FDI) and imports in Thailand and in the Philippines during the period 1970ñ1998. Applying a CES generalization of Cobb-Douglas production function, the output response to FDI is the same in both...

This paper takes a holistic look at the media sector and establishes that press freedom along with reach reduces political instability. Greater reach of media furthers the cause of a free press. It generates an informed populace and increases government responsiveness. The hypothesis is...

The widespread acknowledgement of the centrality of micro and small businesses in the development process has led to a proliferation of projects and programs designed to assist and promote these businesses. This research examines the common assumption that access to credit from formal financial...