Overview

Hla Myint (Burmese: လှမြင့်) was a Burmese economist born in 1920 who became widely known for his work on development economics and welfare thought. He spent much of his academic life teaching and researching the economic problems of low-income countries. From 1966 until 1985 he served as Emeritus Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics (LSE), where he taught generations of students and influenced debates about growth strategy.

Key ideas and contributions

Myint is particularly associated with two interlinked themes: the role of welfare considerations in development policy and the importance of outward-looking, export-oriented strategies for economic growth. He argued that openness to international markets and specialization according to comparative advantage could act as a powerful "engine of growth" for developing economies.

  • Welfare and development: he emphasized welfare implications when assessing policies, contributing to a broader understanding of how growth links to social outcomes and living standards. See general discussions of welfare economics in the literature (welfare economics).
  • Export orientation: he argued that promoting exports, rather than relying solely on import substitution, could stimulate production, employment, and learning by doing.
  • Trade and comparative advantage: his work stressed how trade policy and comparative advantage interact with domestic resource endowments and institutional quality.

Academic career and public engagement

At the LSE Myint taught development economics and supervised research that connected theoretical questions to practical policy choices facing newly independent and low-income countries. Beyond the university, his analyses were read by policymakers, scholars, and international organizations interested in strategies for sustained growth. He combined theoretical clarity with attention to real-world constraints and institutional factors.

Influence and legacy

Hla Myint's advocacy of export-led development anticipates and resonates with policy choices made in several Asian economies during the latter half of the twentieth century. While debates continue about the relative merits of different development strategies, his insistence on integrating welfare concerns, trade policy, and comparative advantage remains influential in development studies and policy design.

Later life and death

Hla Myint continued to be regarded as an elder statesman of development economics until his death on 9 March 2017 in Bangkok. His work is often cited in surveys of development theory and in discussions of how trade and welfare considerations shape long-term economic policy.

For further reading on his themes and their place in the broader literature, consult introductory materials on development economics and trade theory as well as surveys of welfare economics and policy debates.