Acemoglu and Robinson have argued that autocracies can generate high rates of growth over the short term by directing unproductive resources toward more efficient uses. The CCP’s early growth model relied on moving unproductive rural labor in agriculture to urban manufacturing jobs to support export-led growth. It also relied on catching up with the advanced world by importing foreign technology. And it was boosted by government infrastructure spending. They argue that the easy gains from this model have been fully exploited, however, and absent the adoption of more inclusive economic
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