A comparison of Latin American and African economic development with an East Asian twist

摘要

There are many parallels between the development of Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Recent literature on this is reviewed. It is argued in the paper that the key to long-term development is the shift from inward (import substitution) to outward (export-oriented) growth. This shift involves both tariff reduction and significant investment in infrastructure and human capital accumulation. Given that much of Latin America (historically) and Sub-Saharan Africa (currently) has depended or depends on trade taxes for revenue, an outward orientation poses a significant fiscal problem, which makes it extremely difficult to switch to an export-oriented growth path. East Asian experience points to the importance of broad-based agricultural growth in making the fiscal transition.