South Asia's Export Structure in a Comparative Perspective

Institute of Development Studies Working Paper No. 91

49 Pages Posted: 19 Nov 1999

See all articles by Jörg Mayer

Jörg Mayer

United Nations - Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Adrian Wood

University of Oxford

Date Written: August 1999

Abstract

World-wide cross-country regressions are used to examine South Asia?s export structure through the lens of Heckscher-Ohlin trade theory. By comparison with other regions, South Asia?s exports are unusually concentrated on labour-intensive manufactures. This distinctive export structure is shown to be the result mainly of South Asia?s distinctive combination of resources: by comparison with other regions, it has a low level of education and few natural resources, relative to its supply of labour. This basic economic fact must be recognised in the design of trade and development strategy for South Asia over the next few decades.

JEL Classification: F11, F14, 014, 015

Suggested Citation

Mayer, Jörg and Wood, Adrian, South Asia's Export Structure in a Comparative Perspective (August 1999). Institute of Development Studies Working Paper No. 91, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=189810 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.189810

Jörg Mayer

United Nations - Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ( email )

Palais des Nations
Globalisation and Development Strategy Division
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
41 22 907 5722 (Phone)
41 22 907 0274 (Fax)

Adrian Wood (Contact Author)

University of Oxford ( email )

Queen Elizabeth House
3 Mansfield Road
Oxford, OX1 3TB
United Kingdom

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