Openness can be good for growth: The role of policy complementarities

Roberto Chang (), Linda Kaltani and Norman V. Loayza

Journal of Development Economics, 2009, vol. 90, issue 1, pages 33-49

Abstract: This paper studies how the effect of trade openness on economic growth may depend on complementary reforms that help a country take advantage of international competition. This issue is illustrated with a simple Harris-Todaro model where welfare gains after trade openness depend on the degree of labor market flexibility. The paper then presents cross-country, panel-data evidence on how the growth effect of openness may depend on a variety of structural characteristics. For this purpose, the empirical section uses a non-linear growth regression specification that interacts a proxy of trade openness with proxies of educational investment, financial depth, inflation stabilization, public infrastructure, governance, labor market flexibility, ease of firm entry, and ease of firm exit. The paper concludes that the growth effects of openness may be significantly improved if certain complementary reforms are undertaken.

Keywords: Openness; Growth; Economic; reform; Policy; complementarity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VBV ... 67b0acdcd2bdba92d10d
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
Working Paper: Openness Can be Good for Growth: The Role of Policy Complementarities (2006)
Working Paper: Openness can be good for Growth: The Role of Policy Complementarities (2005)
Working Paper: Openness can be good for growth: the role of policy complementarities (2005)
Working Paper: Openness Can be Good for Growth: The Role of Policy Complementarities (2005)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:deveco:v:90:y:2009:i:1:p:33-49

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Development Economics is edited by M. R. Rosenzweig

More articles in Journal of Development Economics from Elsevier
Series data maintained by Heidi Boesdal ().