Working Paper

Trade, growth and capital: a case study of Jamaica

Abstract: This is the first of two articles on the dynamics of the Jamaican economy over the last two and a half decades. It compares the overall macroeconomy of Jamaica in the areas of output, fiscal and monetary policy, capital formation and trade to that of Singapore and South Korea. The conclusion from the aggregate data is that government spending in the second half of the 1970?s and the first half of the 1980?s may have had a significant role in the inflationary episodes and reduced capital formation during this period. The second article will delve deeper into the details of the fiscal and monetary policies, domestic industrial and social policies and international relationships in place during this period in order to focus more precisely on the ?micro? causes of or obstacles to growth.

Keywords: Economic development; Jamaica;

Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Part of Series: Working Papers

Publication Date: 1995

Number: 1995-012