The geography of output volatility

Working paper

This paper examines the structural determinants of output volatility in developing countries, and especially the roles of geography and institutions. We investigate the volatility effects of market access, climate variability, the geographic predisposition to trade, and various measures of institutional quality. We find an especially important role for market access: remote countries are more likely to have undiversified exports and to experience greater volatility in output growth. Our results are based on Bayesian methods that allow us to address formally the problem of model uncertainty and to examine robustness across a wide range of specifications.

Authors: Malik, A; Temple, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Not peer reviewed
• Series: CSAE working paper series
• Place of publication: http://www.csae.ox.ac.uk/workingpapers/main-wps.html
• Publication date: 2005-01-01
• Edition: Author's Original
• Language: English
• Keywords: Bayesian model averaging; institutions; JEL: E30; JEL: O11; geography; volatility
• Subjects: Economics; Development economics; Macro and international economics