| Sumario: | The article evaluates for differences in individual countries' export performances. An empirical test by examining export records of major industrial countries over the 1955-1970 period through estimating a cross-country export demand function is presented. The domestic factors are a particularly important determinant of export demand. It is emphasized that the omission of these factors from the export demand function can make trade projections err and, consequently, lead to wrong policy prescriptions. Provided that the non-price factors are correlated with domestic growth factors, a country growing faster than others can expand its exports faster at a commensurately higher rate. Export growth responded disproportionately to domestic industrial growth in the period under study. Fast-growing countries gained and slow-growing countries lost in price and/or non-price competitiveness both as exporters and importers. The former thus tended to develop trade surpluses while the latter suffered from persistent trade deficits. The balance of trade proved to be divergent rather than convergent.
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