Agricultural Distortions, Structural Change, and Economic Growth: A Cross-Country Analysis

Benjamin N. Dennis and Talan B. İşcan

American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2011, vol. 93, issue 3, 881-902

Abstract: Taxing agriculture to mobilize resources for industrialization has been a widely used development strategy. Using novel cross-country time-series data sets with direct measures of agricultural taxation, we examine how a policy bias against agriculture affects the speed of convergence in income per capita, structural change, and economic growth. We find that distortionary agricultural policies in poor economies can account for the emergence of convergence clubs in our sample by significantly retarding their structural transformation and economic growth. Overall, we find no evidence suggesting that policies that discriminate against agriculture have been beneficial for long-term economic growth. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.

Date: 2011
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:ajagec:v:93:y:2011:i:3:p:881-902

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