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The Convergence Hypothesis: History, Theory, and Evidence

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Author Info
Farhad Rassekh ()
Abstract

The hypothesis that per capita output converges across economies over time represents one of the oldest controversies in economics. This essay surveys the history and development of the hypothesis, focusing particularly on its vast literature since the mid-1980s. A summary of empirical analyses, econometric issues, and various tests of the convergence hypothesis are also presented. Moreover, the essay analyzes the implications of the hypothesis for economic growth, especially as it relates to underdeveloped economies. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1998

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File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1023/A:1008279323832
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Publisher Info
Article provided by Springer in its journal Open Economies Review.

Volume (Year): 9 (1998)
Issue (Month): 1 (January)
Pages: 85-105
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:kap:openec:v:9:y:1998:i:1:p:85-105

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Related research
Keywords: convergence; technology transfer; neoclassical growth model; globalization; income divergence;

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References listed on IDEAS
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  1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-37, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Mansfield, Edwin, 1985. "How Rapidly Does New Industrial Technology Leak Out?," Journal of Industrial Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 34(2), pages 217-23, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Ricardo J. Caballero & Adam B. Jaffe, 1993. "How High are the Giants' Shoulders: An Empirical Assessment of Knowledge Spillovers and Creative Destruction in a Model of Economic Growth," NBER Working Papers 4370, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  4. Matthew J. Slaughter, 1997. "Per Capita Income Convergence and the Role of International Trade," NBER Working Papers 5897, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Alwyn Young, 1991. "Learning by Doing and the Dynamic Effects of International Trade," NBER Working Papers 3577, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Quah, Danny, 1993. "Galton's Fallacy and Tests of the Convergence Hypothesis," CEPR Discussion Papers 820, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Ben-David, D. & Loewy, M.B., 1996. "Free Trade and Long-Run Growth," Papers 32-96, Tel Aviv.
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  8. Ben-David, D., 1995. "Measuring Income Convergence an Alternative Test," Papers 41-95, Tel Aviv.
  9. Mansfield, Edwin & Schwartz, Mark & Wagner, Samuel, 1981. "Imitation Costs and Patents: An Empirical Study," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 91(364), pages 907-18, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Sala-i-Martin, Xavier X., 1996. "Regional cohesion: Evidence and theories of regional growth and convergence," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 1325-1352, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Blomstrom, Magnus & Lipsey, Robert E & Zejan, Mario, 1996. "Is Fixed Investment the Key to Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 111(1), pages 269-76, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Bernard, Andrew B & Jones, Charles I, 1996. "Comparing Apples to Oranges: Productivity Convergence and Measurement across Industries and Countries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(5), pages 1216-38, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Young, Alwyn, 1991. "Learning by Doing and the Dynamic Effects of International Trade," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 106(2), pages 369-405, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Mankiw, N Gregory & Romer, David & Weil, David N, 1992. "A Contribution to the Empirics of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 107(2), pages 407-37, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  15. repec:att:wimass:199419r is not listed on IDEAS
  16. Jeffrey D. Sachs & Andrew M. Warner, 1995. "Economic Convergence and Economic Policies," Harvard Institute of Economic Research Working Papers 1715, Harvard - Institute of Economic Research.
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  17. Slaughter, Matthew J, 1997. "Per Capita Income Convergence and the Role of International Trade," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(2), pages 194-99, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Stokey, Nancy L, 1991. "The Volume and Composition of Trade between Rich and Poor Countries," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 58(1), pages 63-80, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  19. Friedman, Milton, 1992. "Do Old Fallacies Ever Die?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 30(4), pages 2129-32, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Gruen, F H, 1986. "How Bad Is Australia's Economic Performance and Why?," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 62(177), pages 180-93, June.
  21. Evans, Paul & Karras, Georgios, 1996. "Convergence revisited," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(2-3), pages 249-265, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. Pritchett, Lant, 1995. "Divergence, big time," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1522, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
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  23. O'Rourke, Kevin H & Taylor, Alan M & Williamson, Jeffrey G, 1996. "Factor Price Convergence in the Late Nineteenth Century," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 37(3), pages 499-530, August.
  24. Bernard, Andrew B & Durlauf, Steven N, 1995. "Convergence in International Output," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 10(2), pages 97-108, April-Jun. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Chowdhury, Khorshed & Mallik, Girijasankar, 2007. "SPair-Wise Output Convergence in East Asia and the Pacific: An Application of Stochastic Unit Root Test," Economics Working Papers wp07-07, School of Economics, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. [Downloadable!]
  2. DOBSON, Steve & RAMLOGAN, Carlyn & STROBL, Eric, 2003. "Why do rates of convergence differ ? A meta-regression analysis," CORE Discussion Papers 2003020, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE). [Downloadable!]
  3. Chowdhury, Khorshed, 2004. "Convergence of Per Capita GDP Across SAARC Countries," Economics Working Papers wp04-07, School of Economics, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. [Downloadable!]
  4. Chowdhury, K, 2005. "What´s Happening to Per Capita Gdp in the ASEAN Countries?. An Analysis of Convergence, 1960-2001," Applied Econometrics and International Development, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 5(3). [Downloadable!]
  5. Andrén, Niclas & Oxelheim, Lars, 2006. "Producer Prices in the Transition to a Common Currency," Working Paper Series 668, Research Institute of Industrial Economics. [Downloadable!]
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