## Quality Upgrading and Export Performance in the Asian Growth Miracle

_IMF Working Papers, November 27, 2019_

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## Bibliographic details
- Authors: Chris Papageorgiou, Fidel Perez-Sebastian, Nikola Spatafora
- Published: November 27, 2019
- Series: IMF Working Papers
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513519227.001

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### Overview and scope
- Authors: Chris Papageorgiou, Fidel Perez-Sebastian, Nikola Spatafora
- Publication date: November 27, 2019
- Coverage: Six fast-growing Asian economies — China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, and Thailand
- Time horizon analyzed: 1970–2010
- Pages: 33
- Volume: 2019
- Issue: 259
- Series: Working Paper No. 2019/259
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513519227.001
- Stock No: WPIEA2019259
- ISBN: 9781513519227
- ISSN: 1018-5941

### Research question and methodology
- Research question:
  - To what extent did product-quality upgrading contribute to the export performance and changes in sectoral export shares of the six economies during 1970–2010?
- Model and approach:
  - A multisector Ricardian trade model that allows for changes in product quality.
  - Calibration of the model to generate predictions about export volumes.
  - Estimation approach that does not require domestic production data, in contrast to previous literature.

### Key findings
- Quality upgrading is identified as a key driver of export shares during 1970–2010 for the six countries studied.
- The model-based analysis links product-quality improvements to observed changes in sectoral export shares and export volumes.

### Subject focus and keywords
- Subject areas: Agricultural commodities, Commodities, Economic sectors, Export performance, Exports, International trade, Manufacturing, Oil
- Keywords: Agricultural commodities, Asia and Pacific, East Asia, export change, Export performance, export share, export volume, Exports, exports data, Manufacturing, marginal product of labor, Oil, product export, product quality, quality upgrading, WP

### Implications (inferred from findings reported)
- Product-quality upgrading should be considered a central channel for policies aiming to improve export performance and sectoral export shares.
- Empirical strategies that can infer quality-driven export dynamics without domestic production data can be valuable for trade analysis.

*IMF Working Paper No. 2019/259; Chris Papageorgiou, Fidel Perez-Sebastian, Nikola Spatafora. Publication date: November 27, 2019.*

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2019/11/27/quality-upgrading-and-export-performance-in-the-asian-growth-miracle-48796_