Understanding the Mechanisms of Economic Development
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4030133 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Angus Deaton (0000-0002-9222-8023, Princeton University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 3-16 |
| Publication date | 2010-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Economic Perspectives (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0895-3309 • E-ISSN: 1944-7965 |
| Publisher | American Economic Association (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1257/jep.24.3.3 |
| OpenAlex | W3121473748 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 18 |
| References cited | 27 |
In this paper, I advocate the investigation, testing, and modification of mechanisms as a progressive empirical research strategy for the field of economic development (and other areas of applied economics). I discuss three lines of work that have elucidated mechanisms that are relevant for development: 1) connections between saving and growth; 2) the determinants of commodity prices, which are a key source of income for many developing countries; and 3) some unexpected puzzles that arise in considering the linkages between income and food consumption. In each case, my discussion illustrates the positivist approach to the hypotheticodeductive method. In this approach, mechanisms are proposed, key predictions derived and tested, and if falsified, the mechanisms are rejected or modified. If the predictions of a mechanism are confirmed, if they are sufficiently specific, and if they are hard to explain in other ways, we attach additional credence to the mechanism, albeit provisionally since later evidence may undermine it. Sometimes the falsifications can be repaired by changing supplementary assumptions, and sometimes they involve long steps backwards where the model is abandoned; and often there is disagreement about which is the correct response. But the end result is an accumulation of useful knowledge and understanding
Commodity · Credence · Developing country · Economic growth · Economics · Epistemology · Market economy · Neoclassical economics · Political science · Positive economics · Positivism · Public economics · Sociology · Computer Science · Economic theories and models · Economic Theory and Policy · Law · Monetary Policy and Economic Impact
Historical instruments and contemporary endogenous regressors
Evaluation of biodiversity policy instruments
Evidential Pluralism in the Social Sciences
Instruments, Randomization, and Learning about Development
The cost of keeping‐up with the Joneses
Exploring the impact of positive reappraisal on self-regulated learning in Moocs
Why do the educated poor pay less price per calorie? Evidence from household-level calorie consumption data
Child Deprivation and the Power of Cash
RCTs for better policy? The case of public systems in developing countries
Agricultural growth, poverty, and nutrition in Tanzania
The effectiveness of protected areas in the context of decentralization
Identifying Mechanisms Behind Policy Interventions via Causal Mediation Analysis
Opening the Black Box
Nutritional Intake and Poverty in Mexico
A review of data-intensive approaches for sustainability
The Role of Theory in Field Experiments
Why Economists Should Conduct Field Experiments and 14 Tips for Pulling One Off
Unpacking the Black Box of Causality
Height, health, and development
Instruments, Randomization, and Learning about Development
Consumption Over the Life Cycle
On the Behaviour of Commodity Prices
Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labour
Price Indexes, Inequality, and the Measurement of World Poverty
Measuring Poverty in a Growing World (or Measuring Growth in a Poor World)
Growth and Saving Among Individuals and Households
Are RCTs the Gold Standard
A new stage of the nutrition transition in China
Agricultural growth, poverty, and nutrition in Tanzania
Economies of Scale, Household Size, and the Demand for Food
The Role of Intergenerational Transfers in Aggregate Capital Accumulation
Competitive Storage and Commodity Price Dynamics
A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth
The Role of Theory in Field Experiments
Commodity Prices and Growth in Africa
Demographic Aspects of the Size Distribution of Income
A British food puzzle, 1770-18501
Why Economists Should Conduct Field Experiments and 14 Tips for Pulling One Off
The Economic History of the Middle East, 1800-1914
Unpacking the Black Box of Causality
| Unique citing works | 18 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,13 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2025 (16) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 17 |