The role of demography on per capita output growth and saving rates

Abstract

Computable general equilibrium (CGE) models and “convergence models” differ in their assessment of the extent to which demography influences economic growth. Here, I show that CGE models produce results similar to those of convergence models when more detailed demographic information is used. To do so, I implement a CGE model to explain Taiwan’s economic miracle during the period 1965–2005. I find that Taiwan’s demographic transition accounts for 22 % of per capita output growth and 17.7 % of investment rate for the period 1965–2005. Moreover, this paper confirms most of the literature written on the role of demography on per capita output growth and saving rates since the seminar article by Coale and Hoover ( 1958 ). Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013