期刊名称：Discussion Papers / Ibero America Institute for Economic Research (IAI)
出版年度：2009
卷号：2009
出版社：Ibero America Institute for Economic Research
摘要：The main economic variables have oscillated widely during the
1992 – 2005 period in Paraguay, in association with some macroeconomic and
structural transformations, but also following general growth trends and
business cycles in the South American region. This can be separated into three
sub-periods; 1992 to 1998, 1999 to 2002 and 2003 to 2005. During the early
eighties, the Paraguayan economy benefited from high public investment rates
resulting from the construction of the Itaipu and Yacyreta hydro-electric power
plants. The country made its own way of stability and growth during a period of
hyperinflations and external debt crisis in many South American countries.
Nevertheless, its economy fell into a growth crisis (still avoiding debt crisis
and hyperinflation) during the second half of the eighties, once the
construction period of the hydroelectric power plants came to an end. During the
first half of the nineties, Paraguayan economy recovered from recession, now
driven by agricultural production and a re-export business boom, based on
special arrangements for duty rates for electric and electronic equipment
imported to the MERCOSUR (Mercado Comun del Sur - regional free trade agreement
established in 1991 by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) region via
Paraguay. The agricultural success was based on a recovery of international
cotton prices, combined with a successful cotton extension program for small
farmers within the country and a quick and widespread expansion of mechanized
soybean farming. The commercial success with electric and electronic components
was based on re-export. Paraguayan import duty rates from outside MERCOSUR were
so low, that Brazilian and Argentine enterprises would prefer to buy these
products re-exported from Paraguay, rather than importing themselves from
outside MERCOSUR, which would have meant higher duty rates. Before this
background, Paraguayan GDP per capita grew until 1995 and then remained
relatively stable until 1998. The per capita income1 Gini coefficient fell from
55.8 to 54.0. Mean per capita growth was 0.63% and poverty dropped from 38.2% to
32.1%.
