Revealed comparative advantage and the role of trade specialization in Philippine industrialization
Date
1999-03
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Abstract
This paper examines the pattern of Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) of Philippine export commodities relative to exports from nine Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEQ member countries during a five-year period (1992-1996). It pays particular attention to shifts in comparative advantage within various groups of manufactured exports and endeavors to analyze these changes. Finally, it relates these findings to the Philippines' program for industrialization in the coming millennium. This paper argues that no significant structural changes occurred during the specified period despite the increasing comparative advantage in moderately capital and skill-intensive manufactures. This was mainly because the changes were not sustainable. Other finding indicate that the government had succeeded in creating a more liberal trading environment during this period. Unfortunately, other factors acting on the economy prevented the country from advancing towards its vision of Philippines 2000.
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Keywords
Trade, Industrialization