Who Can Explain The Mauritian Miracle: Meade, Romer, Sachs or Rodrik?

Arvind Subramanian and Devesh Roy

No 2001/116, IMF Working Papers from International Monetary Fund

Abstract: This paper examines different explanations-initial conditions, openness to trade and FDI, and institutions-of the Mauritian growth experience since the mid-1970s. We show that arguments based on openness to trade and FDI are either misleading or incomplete, and the transmission mechanism insufficiently identified. However, even when correctly articulated, openness appears to be a proximate rather than an underlying explanation for the Mauritian experience. The institution-based explanation offers greater promise. Ultimately, however, the econometric results indicate that existing explanations may be incomplete. Some idiosyncratic factors, particularly Mauritian diversity and the responses to managing it, may provide the missing pieces in the story of Mauritius's success.

Keywords: WP; trade performance; openness strategy; cash cow; trading partners; demographic inheritance; Mauritius; growth; institutions; geography; openness; growth performance; Mauritius' success; trade policy regime; EPZ wage; openness to FDI; Exports; Trade policy; Imports; Tariffs; Agricultural commodities; Africa; East Asia; Sub-Saharan Africa; G. export processing zone; Mauritian miracle; Mauritius' Openness strategy; Mauritius from apparel export; sources of growth; Caribbean (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 42
Date: 2001-08-01
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (51)

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