UNU-WIDER Manufacturing Productivity, Deindustrialization, and Reindustrialization
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WP/75 Manufacturing and Economic Development
This paper examines the theoretical and empirical evidence for the hypothesis that manufacturing is the main engine of growth in developing countries. The paper opens with an overview of the main arguments supporting the engine of growth hypothesis and then examines each of these arguments using a mix of statistical analysis of secondary data and secondary literature. The paper concludes that manufacturing will continue to be important in accelerating growth and achieving catch-up in developing countries. However, compared to the past 60 years, market service sectors will become relatively more important as potential sources of growth and catch up.
- Publisher:
- UNU-WIDER
- Series:
- WIDER Working Paper
- Volume:
- 2011/75
- Title:
- WP/75 Manufacturing and Economic Development
- Authors:
- Adam Szirmai
- Publication date:
- November 2011
- ISBN 13 Print:
- 978-92-9230-442-3
- Copyright holder:
- © UNU-WIDER
- Copyright year:
- 2011
- Keywords:
- structural change, manufacturing, engine of growth, catch-up
- JEL:
- O14, N6
- Project:
- Promoting Entrepreneurial Capacity
- Sponsor:
- UNU-WIDER gratefully acknowledges the financial contributions to the project by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and the financial contributions to the research programme by the governments of Denmark (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Finland (Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs), Sweden (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency—Sida) and the United Kingdom (Department for International Development).
- Format:
- online
- This study has been prepared within a joint project of UNU-MERIT, UNU-WIDER, and UNIDO on Pathways to Industrialization in the 21st Century: New Challenges and Emerging Paradigms.