Economic Complexity is a set of network-based and algorithmic methods for the study of economic development and competitiveness. In this framework, Economic Fitness is an innovative approach that improves the mathematical and conceptual scheme.
... Exibir mais + For convenience, these methods were originally conceived on trade in goods. This paper extends the Economic Fitness methodology to include a trade in services element to yield a universal matrix of world trade and thus provide a more complete picture of a country's development and global competitiveness. The paper applies two algorithms to the universal trade in goods and services matrix to contrast country competitiveness and change in complexity and diversification when services are added to the traditional goods-only matrix. The results show that (i) the competitiveness of many countries was previously over- or underestimated, that is, many countries gain or lose positions in the ranking of economic fitness when services trade is considered alongside goods; and (ii) complex services tend to cluster with complex manufacturing, suggesting a common capabilities structure. These findings show how developing complex services aids diversification strategies for developing countries.
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The call for inclusive growth has been unanimously broadcasted by policy makers across the world. The Arab spring, the growing divide between Main Street and Wall Street in advanced economies, and the three-speed world economy have placed inclusive growth at the forefront of policy debates.
... Exibir mais + However, efforts to measure and assess the determinants of inclusive growth have remained limited. What is inclusive growth? How can the micro and macro dimensions of inequality and growth be integrated to reflect both the pace and distribution of economic growth? What has driven inclusive growth in emerging markets?
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Malaysia's structural transformation from low to middle income has made it one of the most prominent manufacturing exporters in the world.
... Exibir mais + However, in the competitive global economy, like many other middle-income economies, it is sandwiched between low-wage economies on one side and more innovative advanced economies on the other. What can Malaysia do? Does Malaysia need a new growth strategy?
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The geography of poverty has changed. More than 70 percent of the worlds poor live not in low-income countries, but in middle-income countries.
... Exibir mais + In 2008, nearly 570 million people lived on less than US$1.25 a day in South Asia, compared to 385 million in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, nearly 70 percent of the poor people in South Asia live in the lagging regions. Improving the living standards of these regions is crucial to achieving the goal of shared prosperity. Economic growth is not sufficient to enable the lagging regions of South Asia to catch up with the leading regions, in terms of proportional reductions in poverty rates. Policies must be specifically targeted toward achieving greater growth and poverty reduction in these regions. One particular policy channel to achieve shared prosperity is pro-poor fiscal transfers. For the most part, interstate fiscal transfers in South Asian countries do promote equity through transfer of resources to poorer regions, but this outcome usually occurs when pro-poor redistribution has explicit rules and transparency. Further, simply directing financial resources to lagging regions may not be sufficient, and may need to be complemented with increases in capacity, transparency, and participation to facilitate accountability at the local level. Policy makers need to boost shared prosperity and take another look at the millennium development goal paradigm. A new lens is needed- one that shifts the focus of policy from national to subnational level, and from leading to lagging regions, where poverty, gender disparity, and human misery are concentrated.
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Technology has changed the nature of service activities and made them more productive, tradable and fragmented in the global supply chain. Has Europe's growth been benefiting from the ongoing globalization of services?
... Exibir mais + Services dominate growth in EU-15 countries and, to a lesser extent, in New Member States (NMS) and Accession (ACC) countries. Except in the ACC region, Europe has maintained specialization in service exports. Service productivity, tradability, and exports of modern services are high in EU-15, growing fast in NMS while at a lower pace in ACC. Service export sophistication is important for growth across the region, but especially in NMS.
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Documento de trabalho sobre pesquisa de políticas WPS5793 SEP 01, 2011
Services can now be stored and traded digitally, and they are not subject to many of the trade barriers that physical exports have to overcome.
... Exibir mais + Services are no longer exclusively an input for trade in goods, but have become a 'final export' for direct consumption. It is important to note that services not only have become more tradable, but also can be increasingly unbundled: a single service activity in the global supply chain can now be fragmented and done separately at different geographic locations. This has led to a new channel of growth-what we call service exports sophistication.
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Can increasing sophistication in service exports lead to economic growth? Although services were historically produced primarily for domestic consumption, they are gradually becoming more productive, tradable and unbundled.
... Exibir mais + The authors construct an index of "service exports sophistication" to document this phenomenon. Panel data estimations indicate a positive association between growth in per capita income and higher sophistication of service exports. The results also suggest that this phenomenon is growing in importance over time. Considering the limits of traditional industrialization in igniting global growth, the results provide an alternative channel.
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Documento de trabalho sobre pesquisa de políticas WPS5606 MAR 01, 2011
South Asia's rebound since March 2009 has been strong and is comparable to that in East Asia. South Asia is poised to grow by about 7 percent in 2010 and nearly 8 percent in 2011, thanks to the strong recovery in India, good performances in Bangladesh, post-conflict bounce in Sri Lanka, recovery in Pakistan, and turnarounds in other countries, including Afghanistan, Maldives, and Nepal.
... Exibir mais + The region's prospective growth is close to pre-crisis peak levels and faster than the high rates of the early part of the decade (6.5 percent annually from 2000 to 2007). The recovery is being led by rising domestic confidence and is balanced in terms of domestic versus external demand, consumption versus investment, and private demand versus reliance on stimulus. Government policy, external support, resumption of private spending, and global recovery are driving the rebound. Strong government fiscal and monetary stimulus packages and, in some cases, external assistance are helping stimulate recovery. Improved optimism is helping the recovery in private spending in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. World trade and demand recovery are also supporting the rebound in exports and tourism, as are capital inflows. Not everyone is doing equally well, with slower recovery in countries with weaker fundamentals, those with unresolved conflict or post-conflict issues, and those that were heavily exposed to the global downturn (Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan). Some significant risks are ahead in the global environment, slowing worker remittances and exports in a still hesitant and uncertain global recovery (which recent events in Europe have highlighted), volatile commodity prices, and continuing volatility in global capital flows.
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