Agricultural exports and agricultural economic growth in developed countries: Evidence from OECD countries

This study examines the validity of the export-led growth hypothesis in the context of developed countries’ agricultural sector, considering the existence of a common market among countries. Using the annual data of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries from 1997 to 2016, we analyze the effect of agricultural exports on agricultural growth. For the comparison between developed countries with and without common markets, we create three subsamples (OECD, the European Union [EU] countries among OECD members, and the non-EU countries among OECD members). Estimation results show that agricultural exports (imports) have a positive (negative) effect on agricultural growth only in the case of the EU subsample. These results imply that access to foreign markets is important to validate the export-led growth hypothesis in the agricultural sector of developed countries.