Abstract
Following a phase of near-constant living standards lasting from Stone Age until the onset of the Industrial Revolution, a large number of countries have experienced growth takeoffs, in which stagnation gives way to sustained economic growth. What causes some countries to enter a growth takeoff while others remain poor? We discuss three mechanisms that can trigger a growth takeoff in a country previously trapped in poverty: fertility decline, structural change, and accelerating technological progress.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsBibliography
Boldrin, M., and L.E. Jones. 2002. Mortality, fertility, and saving in a Malthusian economy. Review of Economic Dynamics 5: 775–814.
Boucekkine, R., D. de la Croix, and O. Licandro. 2002. Vintage human capital, demographic trends, and growth. Journal of Economic Theory 104: 340–375.
Cervellati, M., and U. Sunde. 2005. Human capital formation, life expectancy and the process of development. American Economic Review 95: 1653–1672.
de la Croix, D., and M. Doepke. 2003. Inequality and growth: Why differential fertility matters. American Economic Review 93: 1091–1113.
Doepke, M. 2004. Accounting for fertility decline during the transition to growth. Journal of Economic Growth 9: 347–383.
Doepke, M. 2005. Child mortality and fertility decline: Does the Barro–Becker model fit the facts? Journal of Population Economics 18: 337–366.
Doepke, M., and F. Zilibotti. 2005. The macroeconomics of child labor regulation. American Economic Review 95: 1492–1524.
Galor, O., and O. Moav. 2002. Natural selection and the origin of economic growth. Quarterly Journal of Economics 117: 1133–1191.
Galor, O., and D.N. Weil. 1996. The gender gap, fertility, and growth. American Economic Review 86: 374–387.
Galor, O., and D.N. Weil. 2000. Population, technology, and growth: From Malthusian stagnation to the demographic transition and beyond. American Economic Review 90: 806–828.
Gollin, D., S. Parente, and R. Rogerson. 2002. The role of agriculture in development. American Economic Review 92: 160–164.
Greenwood, J., and A. Seshadri. 2002. The U.S. demographic transition. American Economic Review 92: 153–159.
Hansen, G.D., and E.C. Prescott. 2002. Malthus to solow. American Economic Review 92: 1205–1217.
Jones, C.I. 2001. Was an Industrial Revolution inevitable? Economic growth over the very long run. Advances in Macroeconomics 1(2), Article 1. Online. Available at http://www.bepress.com/bejm/advances/vol1/iss2/art1. Accessed 5 Oct 2006.
Kalemli-Ozcan, S. 2002. Does the mortality decline promote economic growth? Journal of Economic Growth 7: 411–439.
Kögel, T., and A. Prskawetz. 2001. Agricultural productivity growth and the escape from the Malthusian trap. Journal of Economic Growth 6: 337–357.
Kremer, M. 1993. Population growth and technological change: One million b.c. To 1900. Quarterly Journal of Economics 108: 681–716.
Lagerlöf, N. 2003a. From Malthus to modern growth: Can epidemics explain the three regimes? International Economic Review 44: 755–777.
Lagerlöf, N. 2003b. Gender equality and long-run growth. Journal of Economic Growth 8: 403–426.
Laitner, J. 2000. Structural change and economic growth. Review of Economic Studies 67: 545–561.
Maddison, A. 2003. The world economy: Historical statistics. Paris: OECD.
Malthus, T.R. 1798. Essay on the principle of population. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1970.
Matsuyama, K. 1992. Agricultural productivity, comparative advantage, and economic growth. Journal of Economic Theory 58: 317–334.
Ngai, R. 2004. Barriers and the transition to modern growth. Journal of Monetary Economics 51: 1353–1383.
Soares, R. 2005. Mortality reductions, educational attainment, and fertility choice. American Economic Review 95: 580–601.
Tamura, R. 2002. Human capital and the switch from agriculture to industry. Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control 27: 207–242.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Copyright information
© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Doepke, M. (2018). Growth Take-Offs. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_2848
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_2848
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-95188-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-95189-5
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences