Déterminants et nature des spécialisations Nord-Sud : quelques enseignements tirés de la littérature empirique

The theoretical frameworks used to analyse specialisations between countries with different levels of development are generally drawn from the classical and neo-classical theories of comparative advantage. I survey the empirical literature devoted to these two approaches and establish three main stylised facts. Firstly, inter- and intra-sectoral studies confirm the relevance of a Ricardian approach in apprehending the determinants of specialisations. Secondly, the absence of total specialisation on a sectoral level, which is inconsistent with Ricardian theory, can be explained by intra-sectoral heterogeneity resulting from the use of accounting conventions. Consequently, the verification of comparative advantages requires the construction of other aggregates identifying the differences in the nature of North-South specialisations. Lastly, the link between the nature of specialisations and the level of development is conditioned by the sophistication and diversity of the goods supplied. The integration of these characteristics into a model is no light matter, and it has powerful theoretical implications.