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Technological Backwardness in Agriculture: Is it Due to Lack of R&D, Human Capital, and Openness to International Trade?

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  • Rodolfo Cermeño
  • Sirenia Vázquez

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between the agricultural technological level and R&D expenditures, human capital, and openness to international trade using cross‐country information for a sample of 104 countries and various subsamples over the period 1961–91. The unobservable technological level is modeled as a dynamic process in the context of a general translog production function. The results suggest that the technological gap between developed and less developed countries in agriculture increased considerably over this period of time. Overall, the technological levels are directly related to R&D expenditures, human capital, and openness, although this relationship is not robust across different groups of countries.

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  • Rodolfo Cermeño & Sirenia Vázquez, 2009. "Technological Backwardness in Agriculture: Is it Due to Lack of R&D, Human Capital, and Openness to International Trade?," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(4), pages 673-686, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:13:y:2009:i:4:p:673-686
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9361.2009.00520.x
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