Abstract
Contrary to the classical proposition, the works of Prebisch and Singer launched the controversial hypothesis of long-term decline in the terms of trade of primary products vis-à-vis manufactures and a corresponding decline in the terms of trade of the South vis-à-vis the North. The present study traces the origin and evolution of the hypothesis and reviews the related statistical debate. It concludes that the empirical base of the Prebisch-Singer hypothesis is much stronger than it appeared in earlier decades. Reviewing some of the North-South models, the study also finds theoretical support for the Prebisch-Singer hypothesis.
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