The Dynamics of Smithian Growth
Abstract
This paper analyzes the evolution of an economy where growth is driven by increased specialization caused by the geographical expansion of markets. It proves that such Smithian growth exhibits generic threshold behavior. Below a critical density of transport linkages, the economy is split into isolated local markets with limited specialization. Above the critical density, these markets begin to fuse into a large, economywide market causing growth to accelerate. This allows an explicit test of the consensus among historians of Sung dynasty China that the economic revolution during that period was a result of commercialization caused by the creation of a national waterway network. Copyright 1997, the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Download Info
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Bibliographic Info
Article provided by MIT Press in its journal Quarterly Journal of Economics.
Volume (Year): 112 (1997)
Issue (Month): 3 (August)
Pages: 939-64
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Handle: RePEc:tpr:qjecon:v:112:y:1997:i:3:p:939-64
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For corrections or technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Christopher F. Baum).
Related research
Keywords:Other versions of this item:
- Kelly, M., 1996. "The Dynamics of Smithian growth," Papers 96/9, College Dublin, Department of Political Economy-.
- O40 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
- N10 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Growth and Fluctuations - - - General, International, or Comparative
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Citations
Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.Cited by:
- Aiyar, Shekhar & Dalgaard, Carl-Johan & Moav, Omer, 2006.
"Technological Progress and Regress in Pre-Industrial Times,"
CEPR Discussion Papers
5454, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
- Shekhar Aiyar & Carl-Johan Dalgaard & Omer Moav, 2008. "Technological progress and regress in pre-industrial times," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 125-144, June.
- Jeffrey D. Sachs & Xiaokai Yang, 1999.
"Gradual Spread of Market-Led Industrialization,"
CID Working Papers
11, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
- Sachs, J.D. & Yang, X., 1999. "Graduate Spread of Market-Led Industrialization," Papers 11, Chicago - Graduate School of Business.
- Baldwin, Richard E. & Martin, Philippe & Ottaviano, Gianmarco I.P., 1998.
"Global Income Divergence, Trade and Industrialisation: The Geography of Growth Take-Offs,"
Working Paper Series
496, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
- Baldwin, Richard E & Martin, Philippe & Ottaviano, Gianmarco I P, 2001. " Global Income Divergence, Trade, and Industrialization: The Geography of Growth Take-Offs," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 5-37, March.
- Baldwin, Richard & Martin, Philippe & Ottaviano, Gianmarco Ireo Paolo, 1998. "Global Income Divergence, Trade and Industrialization: The Geography of Growth Take-Offs," CEPR Discussion Papers 1803, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
- Baldwin, R.E. & Martin, P. & Ottaviano, G.I.P., 1998. "Global Income Divergence, Trade and Industrialisation: The Geography of Growth Take-Offs," Research Institute of Industrial Economics Working Papers 496, Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN).
- Richard E. Baldwin & Philippe Martin & Gianmarco I. P. Ottaviano, 1998. "Global Income Divergence, Trade and Industrializatiion: The Geography of Growth Take-Offs," NBER Working Papers 6458, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Jean Imbs & Romain Wacziarg, 2003.
"Stages of Diversification,"
American Economic Review,
American Economic Association, vol. 93(1), pages 63-86, March.
- Wacziarg, Romain & Imbs, Jean, 2000. "Stages of Diversification," Research Papers 1653, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
- Imbs, Jean & Wacziarg, Romain, 2000. "Stages of Diversification," CEPR Discussion Papers 2642, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
- Blume,L.E. & Durlauf,S.N., 2005. "Identifying social interactions : a review," Working papers 12, Wisconsin Madison - Social Systems.
- Edgar Morgenroth, 2003. "What should Policy Makers Learn from Recent Advances in Growth Theory and New Economic Geography?," Papers WP150, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
- Brock,W.A. & Durlauf,S.N., 2005. "Social interactions and macroeconomics," Working papers 5, Wisconsin Madison - Social Systems.
- Gregg Huff, 2007. "Globalization, Natural Resources and Foreign Investment: A View from the Resource-Rich Tropics," Working Papers 2007_16, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
- Desmet, Klaus & Parente, Stephen L., .
"The Evolution of Markets and the Revolution of Industry: A Quantitative Model of England’s Development, 1300-2000,"
Open Access publications from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
info:hdl:10016/4808, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.
- Desmet, Klaus & Parente, Stephen, 2009. "The Evolution of Markets and the Revolution of Industry: A Quantitative Model of England's Development, 1300-2000," CEPR Discussion Papers 7290, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
- Canning, David & Bennathan, Esra, 2000. "The social rate of return on infrastructure investments," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2390, The World Bank.
- BEHRENS, Kristian, 2004. "Population growth and manufacturing real wages in 18th century England: a spatial perspective," CORE Discussion Papers 2004025, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
- Groot, H.L.F. de, 1998. "Macroeconomic Consequences of Outsourcing. An Analysis of Growth, Welfare and Product Variety," Discussion Paper 1998-43, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
- Robert Cromley & Dean Hanink, 2008. "Population growth and the development of a central place system," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 383-405, December.
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