International trade and economic convergence: the credit channel

In this paper, we examine a particular mechanism by which internationaltrade accelerates economic convergence. We develop a model ofgrowth under credit constraints in which international tradeexpands access to credit. We show in numerical simulations thatreasonable values for openness generate convergence rates thatmatch well the empirical estimates. We econometrically investigatea key prediction of the model - that more open economies exhibitgreater debt to output ratios - and find substantial supportin the data for this claim. This remains true even when we controlfor a host of additional factors and conduct robustness checks.