Because unskilled labor is abundant and skilled labor and entrepreneurs are scarce, unskilled wages are low and those who have skills prosper. Indeed, earlier theories suggested that inequality contributed to economic growth. Sir Arthur Lewis, who received the Nobel Prize for his work on development economics, argued that what he called the surplus of labor kept wages low and profits high. Workers earning subsistence wages could not save, but capitalists could; thus higher profits contributed to a higher saving rate. In this view, there is a trade-off between growth and equality. Current views are different. Today, many economists believe that growth and equality are in fact complementary, as evidenced by the East Asian miracle.
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closing this gap, with remarkable success. Some countries, like Singapore, encouraged foreign firms to invest directly, bringing with them access to foreign markets as well as new technology. Other countries, like Korea, focused on licensing new technologies from the more advanced countries. Political and social stability, which provides an environment conducive to investment. So impressive have the outcomes in East Asia been that many refer to them as the East Asian miracle. Some economists, however, find nothing miraculous in them the growth can be explained largely by standard economics of the kind that we have studied in this text (see Chapter 27). High saving rates, high investment in both capital and education, and knowledge are part of the standard recipe. Still, one point argues for a miracle: no other set of countries has been able to achieve similar outcomes. Underlying these successes were both good policies (such as those that led to macroeconomic stability) and strong institutions (such as newly created financial institutions that allocated the capital well). Three features of East Asias development strategy deserve special attention: the roles of government, exports, and egalitarian policies.
The Role of Government Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the East
Asia model was the balance the countries achieved between the role of the state and the role of the market. Their governments pursued market-oriented policies that encouraged development of the private sector. They sought to augment and govern the market, not to replace it. They also fostered high saving ratesoften in excess of 25 percent. In Japan, more than a third of these savings went into accounts at the postal savings banks established by the government. In Singapore, the government established a provident fund, to which all workers were required to contribute 40 percent of their income. These governments also influenced the allocation of capital in myriad ways. Banks were discouraged from making real estate loans and loans for durable consumer goods. This action helped to increase private saving rates and to discourage real estate speculation, which often serves to destabilize the economy. As a result, more funds were available for investment in growth-oriented activities like purchasing new equipment. In addition, governments established development banks to promote long-term investment in sectors such as shipbuilding, steel mills, and the chemical industry. These interventions have been more controversial, and their success has been mixed. On the positive side, the steel firms in Taiwan and Korea are among the most efficient in the world. With more mixed results, the Japanese and Korean governments took a variety of initiatives to promote certain industries, including the computer chip industry. By the early 1980s, Japan seemed poised to completely dominate that market. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, a series of agreements reached between Japan and the United States lowered tariffs on semiconductors and allowed U.S. manufactures access to the Japanese market. These
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changes served to level the playing field, enabling American producers such as Intel to draw on Americas comparative advantage in chip production and reassert leadership in the industry. The dangers of government intervention are often symbolized by the Japanese governments failed attempt to discourage Honda (originally a manufacturer of motorcycles) from entering the auto market, arguing that there were already too many producers.
Fostering Equality Another distinctive aspect of East Asias development strategy was its emphasis on equality. Examples of these egalitarian policies include Singapores home ownership program; the almost universal provision of elementary and secondary education, extended to girls as well as boys; and the land redistribution programs that were the precursor of growth in several of the countries, including Taiwan and Japan. In many of these countries, the governments also tried to curb excessive wage inequality and to discourage conspicuous consumption by the rich. Their experience has shown that high saving rates are possible without either the oppressiveness of Soviet-style governments or vast inequalities. The equality measures have actually promoted economic growth. The land reforms have resulted in increased agricultural production, and the high educational levels have directly increased productivity and facilitated the transfer and adoption of more advanced technology. More education for women is associated with smaller families, and thus with declining rates of population growth.
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