The Impact of U.S. Economic Growthon the Rest of the World: How Much Does it Matter?

Abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. Abstract This paper attempts to quantify the extent to which U.S. growth is an "engine" of the world economy. Results based on fixed-effects estimation using panel data suggest a significant positive impact of U.S. growth on growth in the rest of the world, especially developing countries, in recent decades. The impact is as large as one-for-one in some specifications. The results are robust to alternative specifications and to the alternative claim that world growth in recent decades has been driven predominantly by common global shocks.