The Baltic Sea boom
Of the 19 EU countries that have reported fourth quarter growth so far, the 5 highest growth rates were recorded in Estonia (6.6%), Finland (5.8%), Lithuania (4.4%), Germany (4.0%) and Latvia (3.7%).
What do these countries have in common? They are all located in northern Europe, more specifically by the Baltic sea. Also located by the Baltic sea are Demmark, Sweden and Poland, who haven't reported fourth quarter growth yet, but had high growth during the third quarter and are therefore likely to report high growth during the fourth quarter as well.
Why is growth so high in these particular countries? Well, there are particular factors driving growth in the individual countries, such as the supply-side reforms in Sweden, but in addition to them, the most important explanation is that growth is contagious.
When a neighboring economy is booming, this usually helps a country's economy as demand for your exports increase. And because the relative geographical proximity minimizes transportation costs, growth in neighboring countries will usually benefit your economy more than growth in countries that are farther away. This doesn't hold of course if there are legal or social barriers that prevents or minimizes trade, such as in the case of Cuba and the United States or the Arab countries and Israel, but that exception is fortunately not applicable to the countries around the Baltic sea.
Add/view comments on this post.
------------------------------
The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on the link above.
