Big push model

The big push model is a concept in development economics or welfare economics that emphasizes that a firm's decision whether to
industrialize or not depends on its expectation of what other firms will do. It assumes economies of scale and oligopolistic market
structure and explains when industrialization would happen.

The originator of this theory was Paul Rosenstein-Rodan in 1943. Further contributions were made later on by Murphy, Shleifer and
Robert W. Vishny in 1989. Analysis of this economic model ordinarily involves usinggame theory.

The theory of the model emphasizes that underdeveloped countries require large amounts of investments to embark on the path of
economic development from their present state of backwardness. This theory proposes that a 'bit by bit' investment programme will
not impact the process of growth as much as is required for developing countries. In fact, injections of small quantities of investments
will merely lead to a wastage of resources. Paul Rosenstein-Rodanapprovingly quotes a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study
in this regard, "There is a minimum level of resources that must be devoted to... a development programme if it is to have any chance
of success. Launching a country into self-sustaining growth is a little like getting an airplane off the ground. There is a criticalground
[1]
speed which must be passed before the craft can become airborne...."

Rosenstein-Rodan argued that the entire industry which is intended to be created should be treated and planned as a massive entity (a
firm or trust). He supports this argument by stating that the social marginal product of an investment is always different from its
private marginal product, so when a group of industries are planned together according to their social marginal products, the rate of
[2]
growth of the economy is greater than it would have otherwise been.

Contents
The three indivisibilities
Indivisibility in production function
Indivisibility (or complementarity) of demand
Indivisibility in the supply of savings
How the big push works
Indivisibilities and external economies
Role of the State
Criticisms
See also
References
Further reading
External links

The three indivisibilities

According to Rosenstein-Rodan, there exist three indivisibilities in underdeveloped countries. These indivisibilities are responsible
for external economies and thus justify the need for a big push. The indivisibilities are as follows-

1. Indivisibility in production function

2. Indivisibility of demand
3. Indivisibility in the supply ofsavings
Indivisibility in production function
Indivisibilities in the production function may be with respect to any of the following:

Inputs
Processes
Outputs
These lead to increasing returns (i.e., economies of scale), and may require a high optimum size of a firm. This can be achieved even
in developing countries since at least one optimum scale firm can be established in many industries. But investment in social
overhead capital comprises investment in all basic industries (like power, transport or communications) which must necessarily come
before directly productive investment activities. Investment in social overhead capital is 'lumpy' in nature. Such capital requirements
cannot be imported from other nations. Therefore, heavy initial investment necessarily needs to be made in social overhead capital
(this is approximated to be about 30 to 40 percent of the total investment undertaken by underdeveloped countries). Social overhead
capital is further characterized by four indivisibilities:

1. Irreversibility in time: It must precede other directly productive investments

2. Minimum durability of equipment:. Any lesser level of durability is either impossible due to technical reasons or much
less efficient
3. Long gestation periods: The investment in social overheadcapital takes time to generate returns and its impact in
the economy is not immediately or directly visible
4. Irreducible minimum social overhead capital–industry mix : Investment needs to be of a certain minimum magnitude
and spread across a mix of industries, without which it will not significantly impact the process of growth.

Indivisibility (or complementarity) of demand

Developing countries are characterized by low per-capita income and purchasing power. Markets in these countries are therefore
small. In a closed economy, modernization and increased efficiency in a single industry has no impact on the economy as a whole
since the output of that industry will fail to find a market. A large number of industries need to be set up simultaneously so that
people employed in one industry consume the output of other industries and thus create
complementary demand.

To illustrate this, Rosenstein Rodan gives the example of a shoe industry. If a country makes large investments in the shoe industry,
all the disguisedly employed labor from the other industries find work and a source of income, leading to a rise in production of shoes
and their own incomes. This increased income will not be expended only on buying shoes. It is conceivable that the increased
incomes will lead to increased spending on other products too. However, there is no corresponding supply of these products to satisfy
this increased demand for the other goods. Following the basic market forces of demand and supply, the prices of these commodities
will rise. To avoid such a situation, investment must be spread out amongst dif
ferent industries.

The situation may be different in an open economy as the output of the new industry may replace former imports or possibly find its
market by way of exports. But even if the world market acts as asubstitute for domestic demand, a big push is still needed (though its
required size may now be reduced due to the presence of international trade).

Indivisibility in the supply of savings

High levels of investment require a corresponding high level of savings. We cannot always rely on foreign aid as the huge levels of
investments in the different sectors need to be made not only once, but multiple times. Hence domestic savings are a must. But in an
underdeveloped economy,this is a challenge due to the low income levels. The marginal rate of savings needs to be increased
following the rise in incomes due to higher investment.

How the big push works

Consider a country whose economy is characterized by a large number sectors which are so small that any increase in the
productivity of one sector has no impact on the economy as a whole. Each sector can either rely on traditional methods or switch to
modern methods of production which would increase its efficiency. Let us assume that there are workers in the economy and
sectors. Each sector therefore
has workers.

Using traditional technology, a

sector would produce
amount of output, with each
worker producing one unit of
the commodity.

Using modern technology a

sector would produce more as
the productivity would be
greater than one unit per
worker. However, a modern
sector would require some of
the workers (say ) to perform
administrative tasks.

In figure 1, the x-axis Fig.1

represents the labor employed
and the y-axis represents the
level of production. The production in the traditional sector is given by the curve T and the production in the modern sector is given
by M. The curve M has a positive intercept on the x-axis, implying that even with zero production, there is a minimum level of
workers who still remain employed for carrying out administrative activities. With our assumption of workers in the economy,
the modern sector will have a higher level of productivity than the traditional sector. The production function of the modern sector is
steeper than that of the traditional sector because of the higher productivity of workers in the former. The slope of both production
functions is , where is the marginal labor required to produce an additional unit of output. This level of is lower for the
modern sector than it is for the traditional sector
.

Assume that the traditional

sector pays workers one unit
of output which is
subsequently spent equally by
them in all sectors. The
modern sector pays higher
wages to workers. If all the
workers are employed by the
traditional sector, then the
demand generated for the
output of each sector is
. Government
intervention in a manner that
investment is carried out on
those industries that have
higher forward and backward
linkages. We have two
Fig.1 possible cases:

Wages are low – When low

wages are prevalent in the economy, say , a firm which faces demand will need to employ workers if it
wants to modernize. This will cost the firm .
 Now, wages are low. Therefore

This implies that costs (given by ) are lower than the earnings (given by ). So the firm
makes a profit and will choose to modernize (even if other firms do not).

Wages are high – When high wages are prevalent in the economy
, say , a firm which faces demand will make
losses if no other firms choose to modernize.

This is because

This implies that costs (given by ) are higher than the earnings (given by ).

However, if all the other firms have modernized, the firm faces a higher demand , arising
out of higher income levels of workers of these modernized firms. The firm will hence choose
to modernize as well so that it makes profits:

Indivisibilities and external economies

The concept of externalities is relevant for the Industrialization of underdeveloped countries, where decisions are to be made
regarding distribution of savings among alternative investment opportunities. These arise from the interdependence in market
economies.[3]

Pecuniary economies are external economies transmitted through the price system, as prices are the signalling device (under
conditions of perfect competition in a market economy). They arise in an industry (say industry X) due to internal economies of
overcoming technical indivisibilities. This reduces the price of its product, which will benefit another industry (say industry Y) which
use this output as an input or a factor of production.[4] Subsequently, the profits of industry Y will rise, leading to its expansion and
[5]
generating demand for the output of industry X. As a result, industry X's production and profits also expand.

However in underdeveloped countries, conditions of perfect competition are not present due to the decentralized and differentiated
nature of the market. Prices fail to act as asignalling system in the following ways:[3]

Prices express the situation as it is and do not predict future economic situations
Prices can decide present productive activities but cannot determine investments which would be appropriate for
developing countries
The response of the private sector to price signals is inadequate and imperfect due to the dif
ferentiation and
decentralisation in developing countries
This justifies the need for centralized pan-industry planning of investment in Developing countries, as the private sector cannot
undertake such planning.

Enlargement of the market size is another important externality which arises from the complementarity of industries. There exists
an incentive to expand the scale of operations because the employees of one industry become the customers of another industry. In
terms of products too (as in the above example of industries X and Y), one industry generates demand for the output of the other
when the scale of operations increase.[6]

Marshallian economies also accrue to a firm within a growing industry, resulting from agglomeration of industrial districts or
clusters in a particular area. These occur due to the following advantages of agglomeration identified by
Alfred Marshall:

1. Spillover of information
2. Specialization and division of labor
.[5]
3. Development of a market for skilled labor
Availability of skilled labour is an externality which arises when industrialization occurs, as workers acquire better training and
skills. This is not achievable by mere establishment of a few industries, but requires a large program of industrial growth. It is one of
[7]
the most important external economies because absence of skilled labor is a strong impediment to industrialization.

Role of the State

The large-scale programme of industrialization advocated by this model requires huge investments which are beyond the means of
the private sector. The investment in infrastructure and basic industries (like power, transport and communications) is 'lumpy' and has
long gestation periods. The role of the state in this theory is therefore critical for investment in social overhead capital. Even if the
private sector had the requisite resources to invest in such a programme, it would not do so since it is driven by profit motives.[7]
Many investments are profitable in terms of social marginal net product but not in terms of private marginal net product. Due to this
[1]
there is no incentive for individual entrepreneurs to invest and take advantage of external economies.

Criticisms
The theory has been criticized by Hla Myint and Celso Furtado, among others, primarily on the grounds of the massive effort
required to be taken by underdeveloped countries to move along the path of industrialization. Some of the major criticisms are as
follows.

Difficulties in execution and implementation: The execution of related projects during the course of industrialization
may involve unexpected or unavoidable changes due to revisions of plans, delays and deviations from the planned
process. Hla Myint notes that the various departments and agencies involved in the process of development need to
coordinate closely and evaluate and revise plans continuously . This is a challenging task for the governments of
developing countries.[4]
Lack of absorptive capacity: The implementation of industrialization programmes may be constrained by inef fective
disbursement,short-term bottlenecks,macroeconomic problems and volatility, loss of competitiveness and
weakening of institutions.Credit is often utilized at low rates or after long time lags. There is often a loss of
competitiveness due to theDutch disease effect.[8]
Historical inaccuracy: When viewed in light of historical experience of countries over the last two centuries, no
country displayed any evidence of development due to massive industrialization programmes. Stationary economies
do not develop simply by making large-scale investment in social overhead capital.[9]
Problems in mixed economies: In a mixed economy, where the private and public sectors co-exist, the environment
for growth may not be a conducive one. Unless there is acomplementarity between the sectors, there is bound to
arise competition between them, with thegovernment departmentskeeping their plans confidential out of fear of
speculative activities by the private sector. The private sector's activities are simultaneously inhibited due tolack of
information of government policies and the general economic situation [4]

Neglect of methods of production: Rather than capital formation, it is productive techniques which determine the
success of a country ineconomic development. The big push model ignores productive techniques in its support for
capital formation and industrialisation.[9]
Shortage of resources in underdeveloped countries : Eugenio Gudin criticizes the theory of the big push on the
grounds that underdeveloped countrieslack the capital required to provide the big push required for rapid
development. If an underdeveloped nation had amplecapital supply and scarce factors, it would not be classified as
underdeveloped at all. Limited resource availability is the first impediment to such countries. Though this problem
may be overcome by foreign aids, industrialization may not take of f as expected if the aid flows are volatile.[8]
Ignores the agricultural sector: With its heavy emphasis on industry, the model finds no place for agriculture. This is
a gaping flaw in the theory, as in most underdeveloped countriesit is this sector which is large and has laborsurplus.
Investments in agriculture need to go hand-in-hand with those in industry so as to stimulate the industrial sector by
providing a market for industrial goods. If neglected, it would be difficult to meet the food requirements of the nation
in the short run and to significantly expand thesize of the market in the long run.
Inflationary pressures: It follows from the neglect of the agricultural sector thatfood shortages are likely to occur with
industrialization. Though it would take time for investments in social overhead capital to yield returns, the demand
would increase immediately, thus imposing inflationary pressures on the economy. Cost escalations may evencause
projects to be postponed and thedevelopment process in general to slow down.[1]
Dependence on indivisibilities: The emphasis of this theory on indivisibility of processes is too much, as investments
need not necessarily be on such a large scale to be economic.Social reforms are ignored, which are vital if a
country is to grow on the basis of its ownresources and initiatives. Development is bound to intensify if social reform
is a part of the industrialization process.[9]
See also
Rostow's stages of growth
Ragnar Nurkse
Ragnar Nurkse's Balanced Growth Theory
Virtuous circle and vicious circle
Critical minimum effort theory
Strategy of unbalanced growth
Low level equilibrium trap
Dual economy

References
1. "Notes on the theory of the Big Push", in Howard S. Ellis (ed.) for Latin America
, Macmillan & Co., 1961
2. Nath, S.K. (June 1962),"The Theory of Balanced Growth",Oxford Economic Papers, o
Vl. 14, No. 2, Oxford
University Press, pp. 138–153
3. Scitovsky, Tibor (April 1954), "Two Concepts of External Economies" in "The Journal of Political
Economy",Vol.62,no.2, Chicago University Press, pp. 143–151
4. Myint, Hla (1969), The Economics of the Developing Countries, Hutchinson University Library, p. 119
5. A.N. Agarwala, S.P. Singh (1969), The Economics of Underdevelopment, Oxford University Press India, pp. 303–4,
ISBN 978-0-19-560674-4
6. Meade, James (March 1952),"External Economies and Diseconomies in a Competitive Situation" in "The Economic
Journal",Vol.62,no.245, Royal Economic Society, pp. 54–67
7. S. K. Misra; V. K. Puri (2010). Economics Of Development And Planning — Theory And Practice(12th ed.).
Himalaya Publishing House. pp. 217–222.ISBN 81-8488-829-5.
8. Patrick Guillaumont, Sylviane Guillaumont Jeanneney (October 2007),Big Push versus Absorptive Capacity: How to
Reconcile the Two Approaches, United Nations University – World Institute for Development Economics Research
Discussion Paper No. 2007/05
9. Furtado, Celso (1964),"Development and Underdevelopment: A Structural View of the Problems of Developed and
Underdeveloped Countries" (translated by Ricardo de Augiar and Eric Charles Drysdale)
, University of California
Press

Further reading
1. http://m.domaindlx.com/cihanyuksel2/Two%20Concepts%20of%20External%20Economies.pdf
2. http://www.colorado.edu/Economics/morey/externalitylit/meade-ej1952.pdf
3. http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/discussion-papers/2007/en_GB/dp
2007-#
4. 05/_files/78515953270128788/default/dp2007-05.pdf
5. http://www.econometricsociety.org/meetings/wc00/pdf/1269.pdf
6. http://www.centrocelsofurtado.org.br/adm/enviadas/doc/25_20060719190655.pdf

External links
1. http://monthlyreview.org/2006/05/01/the-neoliberal-rebirth-of-development-economics
2. http://are.berkeley.edu/~adelman/WORLDEV.html

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