We evaluate the endogenous growth hypothesis using sectoral data for South Korea and Taiwan. Our empirical work relies on a direct measure of the variety of products from each sector which can serve as intermediate inputs or as final goods. We test whether changes in the variety of these inputs, for Taiwan relative to Korea, are correlated with the growth in total factor productivity (TFP) in each sector, again measured in Taiwan relative to Korea. We find that changes in relative product variety (entered as either a lag or a lead) have a positive and significant effect on TFP in eight of the sixteen sectors. Seven out of these eight sectors are what we classify as secondary industries, in that they rely on differentiated manufactured inputs, and therefore seem to fit the idea of endogenous growth. Among the primary industries that rely more heavily on natural resources, we find more mixed evidence.

Modern economies have undergone a dramatic change. There has been a shift from large scale material manufacturing to the design and application of new technology with R&D and human capital. The new information age has introduced significant productivity gains through increasing returns and learning by doing, which has challenged the traditional growth models based on competitive market structures. Institutions outside the traditional markets and the genetic principle of survival of the fittest have dominated the current theory of industry growth. This book coordinates and integrates the two strands of economic growth and development: the endogenous theory of growth and the extra-market models of evolutionary economics dominated by innovation efficiency. It presents this new paradigm in terms of both theory and historical experiences. The book addresses the role of innovations and human capital, the impact of information technology, the role of institutions as mechanisms of evolutionary economies and the experiences of Asian growth miracles, and will be of interest to readers in economics and political science concerned with economic growth and development.

This paper analyzes the link between product variety and economic growth. It finds support for the hypothesis that a greater degree of product variety relative to the United States helps to explain relative per capita GDP levels. The paper presents an empirical study for South Africa, which indicates that there exists a stable money demand type of relationship among domestic prices, broad money, real income, and interest rates, as well as a long-term relationship among domestic prices, foreign prices, and the nominal exchange rate.

This book, first published in 2006, offers an explanation of the development paths of post-World War II Korea and Taiwan.