Development theory: convergence, catch-up or leapfrogging? A schumpeterian approach

• Autor(a) principal: Burlamaqui, Leonardo
• Data de Publicação: 2011
• Tipo de documento: Artigo de conferência
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional do FGV (FGV Repositório Digital)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10438/16262
• topic: Economia; Desenvolvimento econômico

The present note offers three propositions for discussion. a) it argues that instead of the suggested convergence among nations which constitutes the title of this session, divergence is a more appropriate way to conceptualize development trajectories; and that this is especially true for the last three decades; b) it suggests that ―convergence‖ and ―catch-up‖ are rather loose ways (or concepts) to frame development narratives and, in fact, that they are more akin to the Rostovian idea of a linear path of development towards development equilibrium – equilibrium imposed on history – rather than to the framework of continuous, structural, cumulative change and creative destruction, which should be the proper domain for development theory; c) finally, a Schumpeterian approach, centered in the concept of leapfrogging trough innovation, is outlined as a more promising way to address both development theory and the historical trajectories observed since the industrial revolution in Britain.