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Economic Development

Economic structure and development

  • 3 things to know
  • All three components

Overview

Economic structure of an economy, primary sector and lewis dual sector model.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

How does economic structure typically change with development?

Key term

Why does the share of agriculture fall as incomes rise?

Evaluation

What are the criticisms of the Lewis model?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is meant by the economic structure of an economy?

    Model answer

    Economic structure is the relative size of the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in output and employment. The balance between them changes as an economy develops.

  2. 2

    What is the primary sector?

    Model answer

    The primary sector extracts raw materials from the natural environment. Agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining and quarrying belong to it.

  3. 3

    How does economic structure typically change with development?

    Model answer

    Employment shifts out of agriculture into manufacturing as an economy industrialises. Services then expand and become the largest sector as incomes rise further. The pattern is observed across most economies that have developed.

  4. 4

    Why does the share of agriculture fall as incomes rise?

    Model answer

    Demand for food has a low income elasticity, so spending on it grows slowly as incomes rise. Agricultural productivity also rises, so fewer workers produce more output. Labour is released to other sectors.

  5. 5

    What did the Clark-Fisher model describe?

    Model answer

    The Clark-Fisher model describes the shift of employment from the primary through the secondary to the tertiary sector as an economy develops. The model is descriptive of the historical pattern rather than a prediction that every economy must follow it.

  6. 6

    What is the Lewis dual sector model?

    Model answer

    Lewis argued in 1954 that a developing economy has a large subsistence agricultural sector with surplus labour and a small modern industrial sector. Labour can move to industry without reducing agricultural output. Industrial profits are reinvested and the modern sector expands.

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