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When Does Domestic Saving Matter for Economic Growth?

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Author Info
Philippe Aghion () (Harvard University - Department of Economics)
Diego Comin () (Harvard Business School, Business, Government and the International Economy Unit)
Peter Howitt () (Brown University - Department of Economics)
Isabel Tecu () (Brown University - Department of Economics)

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Abstract

Can a country grow faster by saving more? We address this question both theoretically and empirically. In our theoretical model, growth results from innovations that allow local sectors to catch up with frontier technology. In poor countries, catching up requires the cooperation of a foreign investor who is familiar with the frontier technology and a domestic entrepreneur who is familiar with local conditions. In such a country, domestic saving matters for innovation, and therefore growth, because it enables the local entrepreneur to put equity into this cooperative venture, which mitigates an agency problem that would otherwise deter the foreign investor from participating. In rich countries, domestic entrepreneurs are already familiar with frontier technology and therefore do not need to attract foreign investment to innovate, so domestic saving does not matter for growth. A cross-country regression shows that lagged savings is positively associated with productivity growth in poor countries but not in rich countries. The same result is found when the regression is run on data generated by a calibrated version of our theoretical model.

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Paper provided by Harvard Business School in its series Harvard Business School Working Papers with number 09-080.

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Length: 54 pages
Date of creation: Jan 2009
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Handle: RePEc:hbs:wpaper:09-080

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Related research
Keywords: Savings; growth; technology adoption; TFP; FDI;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
E2 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment
O2 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy
O3 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Technological Change

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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Areendam Chanda & Laura Alfaro & Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan & Selin Sayek, . "How Does Foreign Direct Investment Promote Economic Growth? Exploring the Effects of Financial Markets on Linkages," Departmental Working Papers 2006-13, Department of Economics, Louisiana State University. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Ang, James & Sen, Kumal, 2009. "Private Saving in India and Malaysia Compared: The Role of Financial Liberalization and Expected Pension Benefits," MPRA Paper 14413, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas & Olivier Jeanne, 2007. "Capital Flows to Developing Countries: The Allocation Puzzle," NBER Working Papers 13602, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Eswar Prasad & Raghuram G. Rajan & Arvind Subramanian, 2006. "Patterns of international capital flows and their implications for economic development," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, pages 119-158. [Downloadable!]
  5. Levy-Yeyati, Eduardo & Sturzenegger, Federico, 2007. "Fear of Appreciation," Working Paper Series rwp07-047, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Volker Grossmann & Thomas M. Steger, 2007. "Growth, Development, and Technological Change," IZA Discussion Papers 2558, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Kenza Benhima, 2008. "A Reappraisal of the Allocation Puzzle through the Portfolio Approach," EconomiX Working Papers 2008-27, University of Paris West - Nanterre la Défense, EconomiX. [Downloadable!]
  8. Christiane Schuppert & Nadja Wirz, 2008. "Public Education and Growth in Developing Countries," EPRU Working Paper Series 08-04, Economic Policy Research Unit (EPRU), University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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This page was last updated on 2009-11-19.

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