Record Details

Upgrading Export Structure In Sub-Saharan Africa

International Business & Economics Research Journal

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Field Value
 
Title Upgrading Export Structure In Sub-Saharan Africa
 
Creator Kohler, Marcel
Khumalo, Thembeka
 
Subject Economics
Export Diversification; Export Sophistication; Sub-Saharan Africa
 
Description A major focus of research on trade policy reform relates to whether changes in global economic participation, brought about by such reform, provides for sustainable income growth in the countries concerned. The challenge for many African economies in this context is to improve their position in the global economy by upgrading their export structures. The authors empirical work suggests that export diversification is a critical first step in upgrading export structure in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. The authors find that the knowledge gained from the export diversification process, along with technology spillovers associated with FDI flows, are important drivers. Furthermore, they find evidence of learning by doing productivity gains from SSA exporting activity. On the whole, the authors do not find that the rise of Asian driver economies poses a significant threat to SSA export sophistication. What is crucial to the further success of SSA countries upgrading their export structure is government policy initiatives that prioritise the upgrading of infrastructure, human capital development and institutional reform. These efforts will ensure that SSA countries can realise real economic gains through improvements in their export structures rather than locking their economies into commodity dependence on the basis of their favourable natural resource endowments.
 
Publisher The Clute Institute
 
Contributor The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) who provided financial support for this study by way of its small research grant initiative.
 
Date 2015-03-02
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Peer-reviewed Article
 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier https://www.cluteinstitute.com/ojs/index.php/IBER/article/view/9164
10.19030/iber.v14i2.9164
 
Source International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER); Vol 14 No 2 (2015); 269-286
2157-9393
1535-0754
10.19030/iber.v14i2
 
Language eng
 
Relation https://www.cluteinstitute.com/ojs/index.php/IBER/article/view/9164/9118