Peru Building on Success
Peru’s recent robust growth has raised its economic prospects and has been broadly shared. The next step in development - high-income status - is challenging for all middle income countries and requires sustained growth. Raising productivity growth is key to sustaining Peru’s high growth rates of income per capita, including in the context of a less favorable external environment. This report looks at Peru’s principal challenges and opportunities to maintain strong and inclusive growth through higher productivity. It will require a reduction of inefficiencies by reaping more benefits from international trade and an improved innovation framework. The report has five parts. Part one analyzes the sources of Peru’s recent strong growth. Part two examines more closely the dynamics and challenges to Peruvian firms’ productivity growth. Part three analyzes elements that will increase the efficiency of Peru’s labor and capital resources - regulation, labor markets, and human capital. Part four is focused on further opportunities to reduce misallocation while at the same time speeding up within-firm productivity through expanding Peru’s technological possibilities, particularly through innovation and the spillovers from international trade. Part five concludes.