Examining the export-led growth hypothesis for Spain in the last century

Abstract

The relationship between real income and real exports is examined for the Spanish economy in the last century (1901–1999) using annual data. The significant changes of the Spanish economy during this period have made of the analysis a mixed one. The export-led growth hypothesis is supported during the economic liberalization period whereas for the protectionist and autarkic period neither a long-run nor a short-run relationship between those two variables are found. When the century as a whole is considered, then, a unidirectional causality running from income to exports is exhibited.