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Does a Leapfrogging Growth Strategy Raise Growth Rate? Some International Evidence

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While openness to trade is a well-recognized hallmark of the Asian growth model, another component of the model is a leapfrogging strategy—the use of policies to guide industrial structural transformation ahead of a country's factor endowment. Does the leapfrogging strategy work? Opinions vary but the evidence is scarce in part because it is more difficult to measure the degree of leapfrogging than the extent of trade openness. We undertake a systematic look at the evidence both across countries and subregions within a large regional Asian economy to assess the efficacy of such a strategy. We conclude that there is no strong and robust evidence that this strategy works reliably.

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  • Wang, Zhi & Wei, Shang-Jin & Wong, Anna, 2010. "Does a Leapfrogging Growth Strategy Raise Growth Rate? Some International Evidence," Working Papers on Regional Economic Integration 47, Asian Development Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:ris:adbrei:0047
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    1. Ferrarini, Benno & Scaramozzino, Pasquale, 2016. "Production complexity, adaptability and economic growth," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 52-61.
    2. Söderbom, Måns & Weng, Qian, 2012. "Multi-product firms, product mix changes and upgrading: Evidence from China's state-owned forest areas," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 801-818.
    3. P.V. Srinivasan, 2013. "Dynamics of structural transformation in South Asia," Asia-Pacific Development Journal, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), vol. 20(2), pages 53-88, December.
    4. Su, Xiaoyan & Anwar, Sajid & Zhou, Ying & Tang, Xuan, 2020. "Services trade restrictiveness and manufacturing export sophistication," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    5. Baliamoune-Lutz, Mina, 2019. "Trade sophistication in developing countries: Does export destination matter?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 39-51.
    6. Martin Grancay & Nora Grancay & Tomas Dudas, 2015. "What You Export Matters: Does It Really?," Contemporary Economics, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw., vol. 9(2), June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    growth; trade openness; leapfrogging;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O20 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - General
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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