The Republic of Korea’s Economic Growth and Catch-Up: Implications for the People’s Republic of China
Lee, Jong-Wha | April 2016
Abstract
This study investigates the economic growth and catch-up of the Republic of Korea over the past half-century. The gap of output per worker between the Republic of Korea and United States has decreased rapidly, as the Republic of Korea’s lower per capita income, relative to its potential level, has led to higher growth, confirming the prediction of a conditional convergence theory. Cross-country regression further suggests that the Republic of Korea’s catch-up to the United States is also attributable to strong investment, lower fertility, greater trade openness, and improvements in human resources and rule of law, while improvement in democracy tends to slow the pace of the catch-up. Yet as the Republic of Korea catches up to the United States and its steady-state level in per worker output, it is subject to growth slowdown unless it improves institutions and policy factors. While manufacturing- and export-oriented development served the Republic of Korea’s success well, poor productivity performance in the services sector has hampered overall productivity growth. The Republic of Korea’s experience implies that the People’s Republic of China’s potential growth rates are likely to slow in the coming decades due to the convergence effect and with the rebalancing toward a domestic consumption and services-based economy. The People’s Republic of China needs to upgrade its institutional quality and improve productivity, particularly in its services sector, to sustain strong growth.
Citation
Lee, Jong-Wha. 2016. The Republic of Korea’s Economic Growth and Catch-Up: Implications for the People’s Republic of China. © Asian Development Bank Institute. http://hdl.handle.net/11540/6489.Keywords
Development strategy
Development models
Economic development
New technology
Rural planning
Aid coordination
Industrial projects
Infrastructure projects
Natural resources policy
Educational development
Absorptive capacity
Development Planning
Development Research
Technology Development
Aid And Development
Asian Development Bank
Comprehensive Development Framework
Development Cooperation
Development Management
Development Planning
Development Strategies
Rural planning
Regional development bank
Project finance
Strategic planning
Infrastructure projects
Government programs
Public finance
Public enterprises
Development
Economics
Development In East Asia
Development Planning
Development Research
Technology Development
Aid And Development
Asian Development Bank
Comprehensive Development Framework
Development Cooperation
Development Management
Development Planning
Development Strategies
Development strategy
Development models
Economic development
New technology
Rural planning
Aid coordination
Industrial projects
Infrastructure projects
Natural resources policy
Educational development
Absorptive capacity
Economic development projects
Economic forecasting
Economic development projects
Municipal government
Technology transfer
Exchanges of patents and technical information
Technical education
Technology
Communication in rural development
Communication in community development
Economic development projects
Development banks
Economic forecasting
Environmental auditing
Cumulative effects assessment
Human rights and globalization
Transfer Technocracy
Absorptive capacity
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Citable URI
http://hdl.handle.net/11540/6489Metadata
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