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Growth Takeoffs

Abstract

Following a phase of near-constant living standards lasting from Stone Age until the onset of the Industrial Revolution, a large number of countries have experienced growth takeoffs, in which stagnation gives way to sustained economic growth. What causes some countries to enter a growth takeoff, while others remain poor? We discuss three mechanisms that can trigger a growth takeoff in a country previously captured in a poverty trap: fertility decline, structural change, and accelerating technological progress.

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