Globalization and the Great Divergence: Terms of Trade Booms and Volatility in the Poor Periphery 1782-1913

Jeffrey Williamson ()
Additional contact information
Jeffrey Williamson: Harvard University and NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH

No 08-07, Working Papers from Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC)

Abstract: W. Arthur Lewis argued that a new international economic order emerged between 1870 and 1913, and that global terms of trade forces produced rising primary product specialization and de-industrialization in the poor periphery. More recently, modern economists argue that volatility reduces growth in the poor periphery. This paper assess these de-industrialization and volatility forces between 1782 and 1913 during the Great Divergence. First, it argues that the new economic order had been firmly established by 1870, and that the transition took place in the century before, not after. Second, based on econometric evidence from 1870-1939, we know that while a terms of trade improvement raised long run growth in the rich core, it did not do so in the poor periphery. Given that the secular terms of trade boom in the poor periphery was much bigger over the century before 1870 than after, it seems plausible to infer that it might help explain the great 19th century divergence between core and periphery. Third, the boom and its de-industrialization impact was only part of the story; growth-reducing terms of trade volatility was the other. Between 1820 and 1870, terms of trade volatility was much greater in the poor periphery than the core. It was still very big after 1870, certainly far bigger than in the core. Based on econometric evidence from 1870-2000, we know that terms of trade volatility lowers long run growth in the poor periphery, and that the negative impact is big. Given that terms of trade volatility in the poor periphery was even bigger during the century before 1870, it seems plausible to infer that it also helps explain the great 19th century divergence between core and periphery.

JEL-codes: F01 N7 O2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 51 pages
Date: 2008
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (24)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.cliometrie.org/images/wp/AFC_WP_07-2008.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:afc:wpaper:08-07

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Working Papers from Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC) Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().