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Trade liberalization in sub‐Saharan Africa: stagnation or growth?
Author(s) -
Mukhopadhyay Hiranya
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of international development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.533
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1099-1328
pISSN - 0954-1748
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1328(199909/10)11:6<825::aid-jid626>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - economics , recession , international economics , liberalization , free trade , liberian dollar , global recession , international trade , market economy , keynesian economics , finance
Abstract This paper argues that greater the liberalization of imports in a sub‐Saharan African country, the more significant is the decline in its rate of growth due to excessive competitive imports. Furthermore, this result was strengthened during recession in high income economies during the late eighties and early nineties. This could be explained by the fact that when industrial countries are suffering from recession, the terms of trade may move in favour of developing countries as a result of a fall in the dollar price of importables. Moreover, it is shown in the paper that the decline in the dollar price of importables is positively related to the degree of import liberalization, and this association improves during recession in high income economies. The volume of competitive imports may not rise in this circumstance in a country that has a well designed ‘interventionist’ trade regime. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.