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Nontraditional or New Traditional Exports: Ecuador's Flower Boom

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 October 2022

Larry Sawers
Larry Sawers*
Affiliation:
American University
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Abstract

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This article explores the sources of Ecuador's boom in flower exports since the late 1980s. In that boom, fresh cut flower exports rose from almost nothing to 9 percent of the country's nonpetroleum export earnings. This research addresses whether trade liberalization and macroeconomic reforms played a decisive role in stimulating the export boom or whether changes in the global flower market created Ecuador's comparative advantage in flower exports independent of the policy regime. The article surveys the many changes in economic policy toward agriculture in general, flower cultivation, nontraditional exports, international trade, and macroeconomic stability. Growth rates in traditional and non-traditional exports are examined to see if they correlate with changes in key policies. The article also examines how the restructuring of the global flower market affected Ecuador's floriculture industry.

Resumen

Resumen

Este artículo explora el origen del auge de la exportación de flores del Ecuador desde los últimos años de la década del 80. En este auge, las exportaciones de flores frescas crecieron hasta constituir un 9 por ciento de las ganancias de las exportaciones no petroleras. Esta investigación se propone examinar si la liberalización del comercio y las reformas macroeconómicas jugaron un papel decisivo en el impulso del auge exportador, ó si cambios en el mercado internacional de flores crearon la ventaja comparativa del Ecuador independientemente del régimen de las políticas económicas. Este artículo examina la gran cantidad de cambios en la política económica hacia el sector agricultor en general, en el cultivo de las flores, en las exportaciones no tradicionales, en el comercio internacional y en la estabilidad macroeconómica. A su vez, se examina el ritmo de crecimiento de las exportaciones tradicionales y no tradicionales para determinar si ambos se correlacionan con los cambios en políticas claves. Por último, este artículo también examina de qué manera la reestructuración del mercado internacional de flores afectó la industria de la floricultura ecuatoriana.

Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Research Review , Volume 40 , Issue 3 , 2005 , pp. 40 - 67
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 by the University of Texas Press

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