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The Fallacy of Composition: A Review of the Literature

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  • Jörg Mayer

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on the fallacy of composition with an emphasis on labour-intensive manufactures. It briefly addresses the protectionist and the partial-equilibrium versions of the argument before focusing on general-equilibrium considerations and the debate on the manufactures terms of trade of developing countries. The review indicates a potential fallacy of composition problem in labour-intensive manufactures, where competition among different groups of developing countries for export market shares may constitute a new form of the fallacy of composition. The likelihood of a country that exports labour-intensive manufactures to become subject to the fallacy of composition rises with the increasing integration of several strongly populated low-income countries into world markets, while it declines with continuous structural change and favourable aggregate demand conditions particularly in developed and the advanced developing countries. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2002.

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Wiley Blackwell in its journal The World Economy.

Volume (Year): 25 (2002)
Issue (Month): 6 (06)
Pages: 875-894

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Handle: RePEc:bla:worlde:v:25:y:2002:i:6:p:875-894

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References

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  1. Warwick J. McKibbin & K. K. Tang, 2000. "Trade and Financial Reform in China: Impacts on the World Economy," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(8), pages 979-1003, 08.
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  4. Bloch, Harry & Sapsford, David, 2000. "Whither the Terms of Trade? An Elaboration of the Prebisch-Singer Hypothesis," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 24(4), pages 461-81, July.
  5. Hertel, Thomas W. & Terrie Walmsley, 2000. "China's Accession to the WTO: Timing is Everything," GTAP Working Papers 403, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University.
  6. Sapsford, David, 1990. "Primary Commodity Prices and the Terms of Trade," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 66(195), pages 342-56, December.
  7. Ianchovichina, Elena & Martin, Will, 2001. "Trade liberalization in China's accession to the World Trade Organization," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2623, The World Bank.
  8. Prema-Chandra Athukorala, 2000. "Manufactured exports and terms of trade of developing countries: Evidence from Sri Lanka," The Journal of Development Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 36(5), pages 89-104.
  9. Ianchovichina, Elena, 2001. "Trade Liberalization in China’s Accession to WTO," Journal of Economic Integration, Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University, vol. 16, pages 421-445.
  10. Faini, Riccardo & Clavijo, Fernando & Senhadji-Semlali, Abdel, 1992. "The fallacy of composition argument : Is it relevant for LDCs' manufactures exports?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 865-882, May.
  11. Schiff, Maurice, 1995. "Commodity exports and the adding-up problem in LDCs: Trade, investment and lending policy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 603-615, April.
  12. Bleaney, Michael F & Greenaway, David, 1993. "Long-Run Trends in the Relative Price of Primary Commodities and in the Terms of Trade of Developing Countries," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 45(3), pages 349-63, July.
  13. Zhi Wang, 1999. "The Impact of China's WTO Entry on the World Labour-intensive Export Market: A Recursive Dynamic CGE Analysis," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 379-405, 05.
  14. Ianchovichina, Elena & Robert McDougall, 2000. "Theoretical Structure of Dynamic GTAP," GTAP Technical Papers 480, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University.
  15. Martin, Will & Mitra, Devashish, 2001. "Productivity Growth and Convergence in Agriculture versus Manufacturing," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 49(2), pages 403-22, January.
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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Rod Tyers & Jane Golley & Ian Bain, 2007. "Projected Economic Growth in China and India: The Role of Demographic Change," ANU Working Papers in Economics and Econometrics 2006-477, Australian National University, College of Business and Economics, School of Economics.
  2. Jörg Mayer, 2009. "Policy Space: What, for What, and Where?," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 27(4), pages 373-395, 07.
  3. Robert A. Blecker & Arslan Razmi, 2009. "Export-led growth, real exchange rates and the fallacy of composition," Working Papers 2009-22, American University, Department of Economics.
  4. Arslan Razmi & Robert A. Blecker, 2006. "Developing Country Exports of Manufactures: Moving Up the Ladder to Escape the Fallacy of Composition?," Working Papers 2006-06, American University, Department of Economics.
  5. Brunner, Hans-Peter & Cali, Massimiliano, 2006. "The dynamics of manufacturing competitiveness in South Asia: An analysis through export data," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 557-582, October.
  6. Khan, Haider A, 2010. "Development Strategies: Lessons from the Experiences of South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam," Working Papers UNU-WIDER Working Paper W, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
  7. Enrique Cosio-Pascal, 2008. "The Emerging Of A Multilateral Forum For Debt Restructuring: The Paris Club," UNCTAD Discussion Papers 192, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
  8. Rod Tyers & Jane Golley, 2006. "China's Growth to 2030: Demographic Change and the Labour Supply Constraint," PGDA Working Papers 1106, Program on the Global Demography of Aging.
  9. McCallum, Jamie K, 2011. "Export processing zones : comparative data from China, Honduras, Nicaragua, and South Africa," ILO Working Papers 462479, International Labour Organization.
  10. Martina Metzger, 2008. "Regional Cooperation And Integration In Sub-Saharan Africa," UNCTAD Discussion Papers 189, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
  11. Rod Tyers & Jane Golley, 2006. "China's Growth to 2030: The Roles of Demographic Change and Investment Risk," ANU Working Papers in Economics and Econometrics 2006-461, Australian National University, College of Business and Economics, School of Economics.
  12. Giorgia Giovannetti & Marco Sanfilippo, 2013. "China's Competition and the Export Price Strategies of Developed Countries," Working Papers Series wp2013_02.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Economia e Dell'Impresa.
  13. Patricio Jaramillo & Sergio Lehmann & David Moreno., 2009. "China, Precios de Commodities y Desempeño de América Latina: Algunos Hechos Estilizados," Latin American Journal of Economics-formerly Cuadernos de Economía, Instituto de Economía. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile., vol. 46(133), pages 67-105.
  14. Rod Tyers & Jane Golley, 2006. "China's Growth to 2030: The Roles of Demographic Change and Investment Premia," PGDA Working Papers 1206, Program on the Global Demography of Aging.
  15. Jane Golley & Rod Tyers, 2006. "Demographic Change and the Labour Supply Constraint," ANU Working Papers in Economics and Econometrics 2006-467, Australian National University, College of Business and Economics, School of Economics.
  16. Barry Eichengreen & Yeongseop Rhee & Hui Tong, 2004. "The Impact of China on the Exports of Other Asian Countries," NBER Working Papers 10768, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  17. Gayi, Samuel K., 2006. "Does the WTO Agreement on Agriculture Endanger Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa?," Working Papers RP2006/60, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
  18. Sebastian Dullien, 2009. "Central Banking, Financial Institutions And Credit Creation In Developing Countries," UNCTAD Discussion Papers 193, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

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