Essays on African Growth, Productivity, and Trade
(2005)- Abstract
- The thesis comprises an introductory chapter and four research papers. The introductory chapter provides a brief overview of recent economic growth performance in Africa, places the individual papers into a coherent context, summarizes the main findings, and discusses their relevance for economic policy.
The first paper, The Role of Capital Accumulation, Adjustment and Structural Change for Take-Off: Empirical Evidence from African Growth Episodes (co-authored with Professor Jean-Claude Berthélemy of the University of Paris-1, Panthéon-Sorbonne), provides a long-term assessment of economic growth in Africa, based a growth accounting analysis of a number of periods of strong and sustained growth in Africa. The paper's... (More) - The thesis comprises an introductory chapter and four research papers. The introductory chapter provides a brief overview of recent economic growth performance in Africa, places the individual papers into a coherent context, summarizes the main findings, and discusses their relevance for economic policy.
The first paper, The Role of Capital Accumulation, Adjustment and Structural Change for Take-Off: Empirical Evidence from African Growth Episodes (co-authored with Professor Jean-Claude Berthélemy of the University of Paris-1, Panthéon-Sorbonne), provides a long-term assessment of economic growth in Africa, based a growth accounting analysis of a number of periods of strong and sustained growth in Africa. The paper's main conclusion is that sustainable growth needs to be underpinned by a balanced mix of capital accumulation, macroeconomic stabilization, and structural change.
The second paper, Dynamics of Export Performance, Productivity and Real Effective Exchange Rate in Manufacturing: The Case of Cameroon, discusses the relationship between productivity growth and export performance based on an analysis that combines firm level data with macroeconomic variables. The analysis suggests that there is a mutually reinforcing relationship between productivity and exports, and points to the importance of real effective exchange rate management for the development of the manufacturing sector.
The third paper, After the Oil: Challenges Ahead in Gabon, uses a simple general equilibrium model to study the economic implications of a sharp decline in the production of oil, Gabon's main export. The study emphasizes the importance of fiscal consolidation, structural reform geared toward improving Gabon's business climate, efforts to ensure good relations with creditor countries to facilitate debt relief, and adequate real exchange rate management.
The final paper, Is the Middle East and Africa Region Achieving Its Trade Potential?, analyzes the potential existence of significant untapped export markets for Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Syria, and Tunisia, and studies the effects of these countries? integration efforts with the EU. Based on a gravity model approach, the paper makes two main conclusions: (i) several countries in the sample could gain significantly by approaching, in particular, the US; and (ii) the impact of integration efforts with the EU has generally been moderate, with some exceptions. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Popular Abstract in Swedish
Avhandlingen behandlar olika aspekter av produktivitet och ekonomisk tillväxt i Afrika och består av fyra kapitel. I det första kapitlet utförs en analys av de faktorer som påverkar Afrikas tillväxt på lång sikt. Analysen är baserad på en studie av ett antal Afrikanska länder som genomgått stark ekonomisk tillväxt under längre perioder. Studiens främsta slutsatser är att en kombination av investering, makroekonomisk stabilitet och strukturell ekonomisk förändring är nödvändig för att främja hållbar långsiktig tillväxt.
I det andra kapitlet diskuteras förhållandet mellan produktivitetstillväxt och export. Studien, som är baserad på data från Kamerun, pekar på en ömsesidigt... (More) - Popular Abstract in Swedish
Avhandlingen behandlar olika aspekter av produktivitet och ekonomisk tillväxt i Afrika och består av fyra kapitel. I det första kapitlet utförs en analys av de faktorer som påverkar Afrikas tillväxt på lång sikt. Analysen är baserad på en studie av ett antal Afrikanska länder som genomgått stark ekonomisk tillväxt under längre perioder. Studiens främsta slutsatser är att en kombination av investering, makroekonomisk stabilitet och strukturell ekonomisk förändring är nödvändig för att främja hållbar långsiktig tillväxt.
I det andra kapitlet diskuteras förhållandet mellan produktivitetstillväxt och export. Studien, som är baserad på data från Kamerun, pekar på en ömsesidigt förstärkande effekt mellan dessa två variabler. Detta innebär att en ekonomisk politik som främjar handel kan sätta igång en positiv process som leder till både ökad export och ekonomisk tillväxt. Analysen klargör dessutom att en adekvat styrning av realväxelkursen är viktig för utvecklingen av export inom tillverkningsindustrin.
Det tredje kapitlet är en studie av Gabon, en oljeproducent vars oljereserver beräknas krympa kraftigt under de närmaste åren. Kapitlet behandlar de ekonomiska konsekvenserna av en sådan minskning och vilka åtgärder som krävs för att minimera dess negativa effekter. Resultaten understryker vikten av att förstärka statens finansiella ställning, främja privata investeringsinitiativ och se till att realväxelkursen tillåts vara så flexibel som möjligt.
Det sista kapitlet undersöker var de viktigaste handelspotentialerna finns för ett antal Medelhavsländer i Nordafrika och Mellanöstern. Syftet är att identifiera vilka regioner som är underutnyttjade som exportmarknader för dessa länder. Studien analyserar också effekterna av dessa Medelhavsländers integration med EU, vilken har pågått i varierande grad sedan mitten på 1990-talet. Det framgår att flera länder, framförallt USA, i allmänhet utgör en viktig handelspotential. Resultaten antyder också att integrationen med EU hittills givit relativt små effekter, med vissa undantag. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/545690
- author
- Söderling, Ludvig LU
- supervisor
-
- Yves Bourdet LU
- opponent
-
- Professor Tarp, Finn, University of Copenhagen
- organization
- publishing date
- 2005
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- ekonomiska system, ekonomisk teori, ekonometri, Nationalekonomi, Africa, economic policy, economic systems, economic theory, econometrics, Economics, trade, gravity model, general equilibrium model, oil, diversification, Dutch disease, productivity, ekonomisk politik, International commerce, Internationell ekonomi, Economics of development, Utvecklingsekonomi, growth
- pages
- 110 pages
- publisher
- Department of Economics, Lund University
- defense location
- Tycho Brahes väg 1 EC3:211
- defense date
- 2005-12-20 10:15:00
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 00575fdc-baf5-400f-86f7-62c435dbd776 (old id 545690)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 15:57:58
- date last changed
- 2018-11-21 20:37:44
@phdthesis{00575fdc-baf5-400f-86f7-62c435dbd776,
abstract = {{The thesis comprises an introductory chapter and four research papers. The introductory chapter provides a brief overview of recent economic growth performance in Africa, places the individual papers into a coherent context, summarizes the main findings, and discusses their relevance for economic policy.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The first paper, The Role of Capital Accumulation, Adjustment and Structural Change for Take-Off: Empirical Evidence from African Growth Episodes (co-authored with Professor Jean-Claude Berthélemy of the University of Paris-1, Panthéon-Sorbonne), provides a long-term assessment of economic growth in Africa, based a growth accounting analysis of a number of periods of strong and sustained growth in Africa. The paper's main conclusion is that sustainable growth needs to be underpinned by a balanced mix of capital accumulation, macroeconomic stabilization, and structural change.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The second paper, Dynamics of Export Performance, Productivity and Real Effective Exchange Rate in Manufacturing: The Case of Cameroon, discusses the relationship between productivity growth and export performance based on an analysis that combines firm level data with macroeconomic variables. The analysis suggests that there is a mutually reinforcing relationship between productivity and exports, and points to the importance of real effective exchange rate management for the development of the manufacturing sector.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The third paper, After the Oil: Challenges Ahead in Gabon, uses a simple general equilibrium model to study the economic implications of a sharp decline in the production of oil, Gabon's main export. The study emphasizes the importance of fiscal consolidation, structural reform geared toward improving Gabon's business climate, efforts to ensure good relations with creditor countries to facilitate debt relief, and adequate real exchange rate management.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The final paper, Is the Middle East and Africa Region Achieving Its Trade Potential?, analyzes the potential existence of significant untapped export markets for Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Syria, and Tunisia, and studies the effects of these countries? integration efforts with the EU. Based on a gravity model approach, the paper makes two main conclusions: (i) several countries in the sample could gain significantly by approaching, in particular, the US; and (ii) the impact of integration efforts with the EU has generally been moderate, with some exceptions.}},
author = {{Söderling, Ludvig}},
keywords = {{ekonomiska system; ekonomisk teori; ekonometri; Nationalekonomi; Africa; economic policy; economic systems; economic theory; econometrics; Economics; trade; gravity model; general equilibrium model; oil; diversification; Dutch disease; productivity; ekonomisk politik; International commerce; Internationell ekonomi; Economics of development; Utvecklingsekonomi; growth}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Department of Economics, Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
title = {{Essays on African Growth, Productivity, and Trade}},
year = {{2005}},
}