Prof Ricardo Hausmann: Acessing know-how for growth in Sri Lanka (With Slides)

Economies grow by adding new products and services to their production portfolio , and not by producing more of the same kinds of products argues Prof. Hausmann. The key to such diversification is access to know-how, but know-how often has to come from abroad. This is because it is often easier to move brains to new countries than to move new know-how into brains. In the experience of Singapore, India, Vietnam and most other dynamic economies, three channels of know-how transfer stand out: FDI, immigration and diaspora networks. In this lecture, Prof Ricardo Hausmann of Harvard CID explores the relationship between economic development and the accumulation of know-how. He will in particular discuss how to tackle Sri Lanka’s limited export diversification.