MPIDR Working Paper

Developing country growth collapse revisited: demographic influences and regional differences

Liddle, B.
MPIDR Working Paper WP-2003-007, 28 pages.
Rostock, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (February 2003)
Open Access

Abstract

This paper bridges two related, but up to now, unconnected literatures: economic growth stability and population-economic growth. The paper is different from previous population-economic growth analyses by focusing on instability of economic growth in developing countries. This study contributes to a previous paper on the developing country growth collapse by adding important demographic variables. The paper provides an explanation for “new” negative correlations of population and economic growth: because 1960s were a relatively smooth time for economic growth, youth dependency did not seem important; however, during turbulent 1970s and 1980s, countries with falling dependency burdens weathered economic shocks better.
Keywords: demographic transition, developing countries, economic growth, population growth
The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock is one of the leading demographic research centers in the world. It's part of the Max Planck Society, the internationally renowned German research society.