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Tropical Underdevelopment

Author

Listed:
  • Jeffrey D. Sachs
Abstract
Most recent cross-country analyses of economic growth have neglected physical geography as a determinant of economic growth. This paper reviews the distinctive development challenges faced by economies situated in tropical climates. Using geographic information system (GIS) mapping, the paper presents evidence that production technology in the tropics has lagged behind temperate zone technology in the two critical areas of agriculture and health, and this in turn opened a substantial income gap between climate zones. The difficulty of mobilizing energy resources in tropical economies is emphasized as another significant contributor to the income gap. These factors have been amplified by geopolitical power imbalances and by the difficulty of applying temperate-zone technological advances in the tropical setting. The income gap has also been amplified because poor public health and weak agricultural technology in the tropics have combined to slow the demographic transition from high fertility and mortality rates to low fertility and mortality rates. The analysis suggests that economic development in tropical ecozones would benefit from a concerted international effort to develop health and agricultural technologies specific to the needs of the tropical economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeffrey D. Sachs, 2000. "Tropical Underdevelopment," CID Working Papers 57A, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    • Handle: RePEc:cid:wpfacu:57a
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    File URL: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/cid/files/publications/faculty-working-papers/057.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Andrew Mellinger & Jeffrey D. Sachs & John Luke Gallup, 1999. "Climate, Water Navigability, and Economic Development," CID Working Papers 24A, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    3. David E. Bloom & Jeffrey D. Sachs, 1998. "Geography, Demography, and Economic Growth in Africa," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 29(2), pages 207-296.
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    6. Robert E. Hall & Charles I. Jones, 1999. "Why do Some Countries Produce So Much More Output Per Worker than Others?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 114(1), pages 83-116.
    7. Masters, William A & McMillan, Margaret S, 2001. "Climate and Scale in Economic Growth," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 167-186, September.
    8. John Luke Gallup & Jeffrey D. Sachs & Andrew D. Mellinger, 1998. "Geography and Economic Development," NBER Working Papers 6849, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Andrew D. Mellinger & Jeffrey D. Sachs & John L. Gallup, 1999. "Climate, Water Navigability, and Economic Development," CID Working Papers 24, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    10. Gallup, John & Sachs, Jeffrey, 1999. "Geography and Economic Development," Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) Papers 294434, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.
    11. Mellinger, A.D. & Sachs, J.D. & Gallup, J.L., 2000. "Climate, Water Navigability, and Economic Development," Papers 24, Chicago - Graduate School of Business.
    12. Kenneth L. Sokoloff & Stanley L. Engerman, 2000. "Institutions, Factor Endowments, and Paths of Development in the New World," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 14(3), pages 217-232, Summer.
    13. Masters, William A & McMillan, Margaret S, 2001. "Climate and Scale in Economic Growth," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 167-86, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Kevin H. O'Rourke & Ahmed S. Rahman & Alan M. Taylor, 2007. "Trade, Knowledge and the Industrial Revolution," Development Working Papers 230, Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano, University of Milano.
    2. Edinaldo Tebaldi & Bruce Elmslie, 2008. "Institutions, Innovation And Economic Growth," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 33(2), pages 27-53, December.
    3. Miguel Martín-Retortillo & Vicente Pinilla, 2019. "The fundamental causes of economic growth: a comparative analysis of the total factor productivity growth of European agriculture, 1950-2005," Documentos de Trabajo (DT-AEHE) 1912, Asociación Española de Historia Económica.
    4. Federico Bonaglia & Jorge Braga de Macedo & Maurizio Bussolo, 2009. "How Globalisation Improves Governance," Chapters, in: Linda Yueh (ed.), The Law and Economics of Globalisation, chapter 7, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Keller, Michael, 2020. "Wasted windfalls: Inefficiencies in health care spending in oil rich countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    6. Alali, Walid Y., 2010. "Role of Political Institutions on Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence," MPRA Paper 115611, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. John W. McArthur & Jeffrey D. Sachs, 2001. "Institutions and Geography: Comment on Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson (2000)," NBER Working Papers 8114, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Edinaldo Tebaldi & Bruce Elmslie, 2013. "Does institutional quality impact innovation? Evidence from cross-country patent grant data," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(7), pages 887-900, March.
    9. F. Andrew Hanssen, 2004. "Is There a Politically Optimal Level of Judicial Independence?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(3), pages 712-729, June.
    10. Roy, Tirthankar, 2022. "The development of the arid tropics: lessons for economic history," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 115514, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    11. Nancy Birdsall & Liliana Rojas-Suarez (ed.), 2004. "Financing Development: The Power of Regionalism," Peterson Institute Press: All Books, Peterson Institute for International Economics, number 359, April.
    12. Tebaldi, Edinaldo & Elmslie, Bruce, 2008. "Do Institutions Impact Innovation?," MPRA Paper 8757, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Alali, Walid Y., 2010. "Role of Political Institutions on Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence," EconStor Preprints 269879, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    14. Benno Torgler & Markus Schaffner & Alison Macintyre, 2007. "Tax Compliance, Tax Morale and Governance Quality," CREMA Working Paper Series 2007-17, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    economic growth; geography of development; health; agriculture; technological change;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
    • O57 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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