Manufacturing for Export in the Developing World: Problems and Possibilities

In recent years, much has been made of the success of developing countries, particularly in East Asia, which have achieved economic growth by manufacturing goods which are then exported to developed economies. Case studies of five countries uncover serious potential difficulties in maintaining the pace of manufacturing for export in the developing countries, and shows that there is no simple relationship between import liberalization and manufacturing for export.

G.K. Helleiner is Professor of Economics at the University of Toronto. He has published widely in international trade, finance and development and is at present the Research Coordinator for the Group of Twenty-Four―the caucus of developing countries in the international financial institutions.