Premature deindustrialization in middle-income countries: case studies of Malaysia and the Philippines

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K20534
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 80010:Area studies-related
• Research Institution: Teikyo University
• Principal Investigator: Karikomi Shunji 帝京大学, 経済学部, 教授 (90755761)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: Economic development / Deindustrialization / Middle income trap / Robotics

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Economic development in developing countries has traditionally been achieved through industrialization. For this reason, many existing studies have viewed negatively the de-industrialization before sufficient development occurs. However, looking at the environment surrounding in developing countries since the 2000s, the number of employees in the manufacturing industry has not increased, and in the future, there will be advances in digitalization, the use of robots, 3D printing, etc. Technological changes are creating the possibility that the role traditionally played by the manufacturing sector will change. The deindustrialization, in which the manufacturing sector's share declines in both level and trend, is largely brought about by environmental changes such as the digitalization of the economy. We should appreciate the contribution of service sector to economic growth.

Free Research Field

開発経済学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の目的は、①中所得国において早すぎる脱工業化は生じているのかを確認した上で、②脱工業化の要因・メカニズムをマレーシアとフィリピンを調査対象として分析、それらの結果を踏まえて、③早すぎる脱工業化は中所得国の経済発展を停滞させる要因となるのか、検討することである。本研究は、開発途上国の経済発展において中核をなした製造業の意味や位置づけを再検討するものであり、その分析・考察結果は開発途上国の発展戦略上、工業化をどのように位置づければよいか、あるいはそれをいかに経済発展に結びつけるべきか、検討する際の一助となるものである。