Macro-micro linkages in the transition between import substitution and export promotion: The cases of fresh-cut flowers and ornamental plants in Costa Rica.

摘要

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how different types of macro-micro linkages affect investment decisions by private investors in developing countries. To accomplish this, the evolution of two non-traditional agribusiness export industries, fresh-cut flowers and ornamental plants, is studied across two very different economic development strategies, import substitution and export promotion.;The second chapter presents a detailed and analytical view of the policies, programs, institutions, laws, and incentives that were used by the Costa Rican government to implement the two economic development strategies. The third chapter presents an aggregate analysis of how effectively were the two economic development strategies implemented in Costa Rica.;The fourth chapter presents an analysis of how the various linkages affected the evolution of the fresh-cut flower industry in the country. Specific analyses of the types of investors, the evolution of marketing, the financial structures of the new firms, the role of international agents, the transfer of production technology, and the evolution of supporting elements and institutions are presented. In the final section, the findings in each section are analyzed in terms of the research topics. Chapter five does the same for the ornamental plants industry.;The sixth chapter analyzes why both industries evolved differently, makes a final analysis and draws conclusions with respect to the research topics, and indicates which are the most important implications for public and private decision-makers.;The first chapter establishes the analytical framework by discussing the basic differences between the import substitution and export promotion strategies and by identifying the conceptual frameworks that are applied to the data in the rest of the research project. Five topics are selected as the focus of the research and to explore the proposed general hypothesis. These topics are: how consistency and congruency, or the lack of them, between the macropolicies, the business environment, and the macro-micro linkages affect investment decisions; the effectiveness of various types of linkages in attracting investors to an industry; how the various linkages affect an industry's international competitiveness; how different types of investors respond to different linkages; and how various linkages affect the industry's long-term sustainability.