Restructuring and Economic Performance : The Experience of the Tunisian Economy

This paper aims at identifying the sources of comparative advantage and the bottlenecks of the Tunisian economy. By using an activity analysis model and yearly data on the input-output structure and the factor endowments, the paper determines the evolution of the potential of the Tunisian economy between 1983 and 1996 and some of its key aspects that the industrial restructuring program of 1996 could improve or reinforce. The analysis sheds light on the scarcity of various types of labor, in particular of qualified labor