The Balassa-Samuelson Model: an Overview*

This paper introduces a special issue marking the 30th anniversary of the publication of two classic papers in international economics. Balassa (1964) and Samuelson (1964). We provide a brief analytical treatment of the basic model and an overview of the contributions in this special issue. The special issue includes novel empirical and theoretical approaches related to the Balassa-Samuelson model. Theoretical models include dynamic two-sector growth models, two-country general-equilibrium models, and open-economy models with imperfectly competitive nontraded-goods sectors. Several papers exploit new sources of data or datasets constructed in new ways from traditional sources. Copyright 1994 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.