IMF Working Papers

Structural Transformation and the sophistication of Production

By Nikola Spatafora, Rahul Anand, Saurabh Mishra

February 1, 2012

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Nikola Spatafora, Rahul Anand, and Saurabh Mishra. Structural Transformation and the sophistication of Production, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2012) accessed November 21, 2024
Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary

A new dataset on export sophistication reveals that in many countries the importance of modern services, and the sophistication of manufactured and service exports, has increased over time. However, this trend was less pronounced in LICs. Sophisticated sectors are more likely to act as a catalyst for broad-based economic growth, rather than turning into isolated enclaves, when the economy is liberalized, the exchange rate is not overvalued, and there are good information flows. An educated workforce, external liberalization, and good information flows are important prerequisites for developing sophisticated goods and services. An appropriate macroeconomic policy is particularly important for goods, skilled labor and good information flows for services.

Subject: Economic sectors, Export performance, Exports, Human capital, International trade, Labor, Manufacturing, Service exports

Keywords: Export basket, Export performance, Export sophistication, Exports, Exports of goods, Global, Goods export, Human capital, Manufacturing, Resource export, Service export, Service Exports, Sophistication of Production, Structural Transformation, WP

Publication Details

  • Pages:

    51

  • Volume:

    ---

  • DOI:

    ---

  • Issue:

    ---

  • Series:

    Working Paper No. 2012/059

  • Stock No:

    WPIEA2012059

  • ISBN:

    9781463937775

  • ISSN:

    1018-5941