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Structural change and economic growth: Advances and limitations of Kaldorian growth models

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  • Guilherme Riccioppo Magacho

    (University of Cambridge)

Abstract

Many different approaches have addressed the issue of why were some developing countries able to reduce the income gap with developed economies while others were not. However, few approaches take into account the process of structural change. This paper reviews the theoretical basis of the Kaldorian approach for the relationship between structural change and countries’ long-term economic growth, emphasising its recent developments and its limitations. According to Kaldor, structural change towards specific sectors continuously increases countries’ growth rates through a cumulative causation process. Although he had stressed it exhaustively, only recently Kaldorian models have explicitly incorporated this feature. Nevertheless, these models still face significant limitations to show how a cumulative causation process takes place in an open economy. The paper discusses the most relevant such limitations, and suggests options for future directions.

Suggested Citation

  • Guilherme Riccioppo Magacho, 2017. "Structural change and economic growth: Advances and limitations of Kaldorian growth models," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 70(280), pages 35-57.
    • Handle: RePEc:psl:pslqrr:2017:13
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Guilherme R. Magacho & John S. L. McCombie, 2020. "Structural change and cumulative causation: A Kaldorian approach," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(3), pages 633-660, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Structural Change; Multisectoral Growth Models; Kaldorian Growth Models; Export-led Growth;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models
    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • F43 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Economic Growth of Open Economies

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