FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT ON GROWTH CONVERGENCE

This paper investigates whether the impacts of financial development on growth convergence vary with the stage of real development. We implement this analysis through the instrumental variable threshold regression approach proposed by Caner and Hansen. Our empirical evidence shows that financial intermediary development leads to long‐run convergence in growth of both economic activity and productivity. Moreover, such convergence‐enhancing effects of financial intermediation are stronger for less‐developed countries than for the more industrialized. In addition, the data reveal that stock market development assists growth convergence only in low‐income countries.     

The impact of sub‐national institutions

This paper assesses the effect of sub‐national institutions on the economic performance of Russia's regions (oblasts, republics, krais and okrugs) from 2001 to 2008, a period of rapid economic advancement and recentralization. Approximating sub‐national institutions with the RA Expert index of investment risk, we find that a reduction in investment risk by one standard deviation increases output by 1.4 percent in the short run and 11.9 percent in the long run, suggesting a substantial regional performance gap in government practices, despite intensive political recentralization. Assuming that the main components of effective governance are running satisfactory public health programmes aimed at decreasing overall mortality among the working‐age population, creating fair labour market conditions and improving the regional institutional climate to encourage investment in fixed assets, we argue that sub‐national institutions remain important for growth in post‐Soviet Russia after 2000. This paper contributes to the literature on institutional persistence.     

Eastern and Southern Africa Monetary Integration: A Structural Vector Autoregression Analysis

This paper uses VAR techniques to investigate the potential for forming monetary unions in Eastern and Southern Africa. All countries in the sample are members of various regional economic organizations. Some of the organizations have a monetary union as an immediate objective whereas others consider it as a possibility in the more distant future. Our objective is to sort out which countries are suitable candidates for a monetary union based on the synchronicity of demand and supply disturbances. Although economic shocks are not highly correlated across the entire region, we tentatively identify three sub‐regional clusters of countries that may benefit from a currency union. We find some tentative evidence that some, though not all, sub‐regions may benefit from a link to the Euro.     

Structural change: Pace,patterns and determinants

This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of structural change in the world economy. The analysis relies on a newly constructed dataset comprising 169 countries and covering the period from 1991 to 2013. Shapley decompositions are employed to evaluate the pace and pattern of structural change across regions and sub‐regions. Country‐level estimates are then used to conduct an original empirical exercise on the determinants of structural change. The results suggest that labor reallocations (structural change) have played a critical role in enhancing economic performance since the early 2000s, even if they remain comparatively less important than within‐sector productivity improvements. The widespread reallocation of labor from agriculture to the services sectors has been the key driver of structural change. Finally, we find robust evidence that the pace of structural change is significantly shaped by human and physical capital. The policy implication is that investments in education and economic infrastructure are crucial to accelerating structural change.     

Heterogeneity and Spatial Dependence of Regional Growth in the EU: A Recursive Partitioning Approach

We use model‐based recursive partitioning to assess heterogeneity of growth and convergence processes based on economic growth regressions for 255 European Union NUTS2 regions from 1995 to 2005. Spatial dependencies are taken into account by augmenting the model‐based regression tree with a spatial lag. The starting point of the analysis is a human‐capital‐augmented Solow‐type growth equation similar in spirit to Mankiw et al. (1992, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 107, 407–437). Initial GDP and the share of highly educated in the working age population are found to be important for explaining economic growth, whereas the investment share in physical capital is only significant for coastal regions in the PIIGS countries. For all considered spatial weight matrices recursive partitioning leads to a regression tree with four terminal nodes with partitioning according to (i) capital regions, (ii) non‐capital regions in or outside the so‐called PIIGS countries and (iii) inside the respective PIIGS regions furthermore between coastal and non‐coastal regions. The choice of the spatial weight matrix clearly influences the spatial lag parameter while the estimated slope parameters are very robust to it. This indicates that accounting for heterogeneity is an important aspect of modeling regional economic growth and convergence.     

Does democratization spur growth?

Many studies have considered how democratization affects economic growth. We expand this work by allowing short‐ and long‐run effects of democracy upon growth to differ since effects during political transitions need not coincide with those under established democracies. We also allow these short‐ and long‐run effects to differ across world regions since history, demography and geography vary across regions. Using annual, cross‐county data from 1960 to 2010, we find that democratizations increased growth rates in sub‐Saharan Africa both in the short run and in the long run but lowered them in Europe. Effects in other regions appear less strong. Our results suggest that democracy could be most beneficial for growth in poorer, less stable regions. We also do not find any evidence of a transitional cost. Stronger evidence arises that these effects come from rising productivity rather than through greater investment. Finally, some support though mixed suggests that democracy's ability to mitigate the effects of ethnic heterogeneity provides a partial explanation for the cross‐regional heterogeneity.     

Is income converging in China?

This study adopts a flexible Fourier unit‐root test proposed by Enders and Lee (2012) to revisit the tendency towards convergence in real per capita income among provinces after economic reform in China. When a data‐generating process is non‐linear, a Fourier series not only allows for the possibility of an unknown number of structural breaks with unknown forms but also allows for the use of a low‐frequency component to capture multiple changes. Contrary to what the linear statistics suggest, our results from a flexible unit‐root test indicate that China's eastern and western regions are converging to their own specific steady states.     

Technology business incubators and regional economic convergence in China

Previous researches often claim the benefits of technology business incubators (TBIs). There is, however, little systematic evidence of TBIs’ role in promoting local economic growth in China where regions are in different development stages. Furthermore, no study has examined TBIs’ contribution to economic convergence. This paper aims to answer this question, based on panel data of Chinese national technology business incubators and the host cities from 2008 to 2012. The results indicate that there exists economic convergence both nationwide and in the western regions of China and no evidence has been found in the eastern and midland regions. Initial analysis without considering the incubator’s characteristics showed that TBIs do not accelerate economic convergence nationwide. We further take the incubator’s characteristics into consideration. We find that non-state-owned TBIs and specialised TBIs can speed the converging process while state-owned TBIs and diversified TBIs have no influence on the process of regional economic convergence.     

Club convergence analysis of regional ecological efficiency in China

This paper adopts a network data envelopment analysis (DEA) model combined with a window analysis approach to evaluate the ecological efficiency (eco‐efficiency) of 30 regions in China over 2000–2015. We also investigate the existence of eco‐efficiency convergence clubs among these regions and analyse the important factors that drive eco‐efficiency club formation. Our results reveal that, overall, Chinese regional eco‐efficiency deteriorated from 2000 to 2015. We find that there is a significant regional disparity in eco‐efficiency. Our convergence analysis indicates that Chinese regions converge into three eco‐efficiency clubs, suggesting that common economic and environment policies might have a limited impact on promoting regional eco‐efficiency and regionally‐tailored policies need to be designed. Finally, we find that forest coverage, R&D expenditure and pollution punishment are important determinants of convergence club membership.     

中国区域经济收敛的空间计量分析——基于长三角1993-2006年132个县市区的实证研究

文章运用空间统计与空间计量的分析方法,根据长三角132个县市区的统计数据,进行了区域经济增长收敛性的实证研究,结果发现长三角132个县市区经济增长存在着显著的空间依赖性或空间自相关特征,因而若采用标准的β收敛方程会使得估计结果出现有偏与不一致;而若采用考虑了空间依赖性或空间自相关因素的模型进行估计,则其结果显示,虽然长三角县市区经济增长的收敛方向并没有改变,但是其经济收敛的速度却明显下降,且在统计上显著.这一发现不仅证实了新古典增长模型所反映的增长机制仍然决定着长三角经济增长的基本面,新经济增长因素只是减弱了长三角地区经济收敛的趋势,并没有从根本上改变经济增长收敛的方向;而且从更小空间单元测度的层面刻画了长三角经济增长的空间依赖性特征.     

Heterogeneity and convergence of regional inflation (prices)

It is generally thought that members in a monetary union experience a similar level of inflation. This paper verifies this conventional belief. Using regional data, we present statistical evidence of heterogeneous inflation in Japan. Not only does the average inflation differ significantly across regions, but regional inflation responds differently to common economic and monetary factors. Furthermore, we show no evidence of price convergence in the entire group of regions although there is some evidence of convergence in subgroups. These results suggest that diversified regional inflation can exist within a monetary union.     

The dynamics of financial development,globalisation, economic growth and life expectancy in sub‐Saharan Africa

The importance of life expectancy is recognised in the development economics literature because of its increasing effects on labour productivity and economic growth in long‐run. However, no published study to date empirically examines the nonlinear relationships between globalisation, financial development, economic growth and life expectancy in sub‐Saharan African (SSA) countries. Therefore, our study intends to fill this gap by using non‐parametric cointegration test and multivariate Granger causality test towards a non‐linear empirical understanding of the factors affecting the life expectancy. We consider the case of 16 sub‐Saharan African economies using annual data over the period 1970–2012. The empirical analysis indicates that financial development, globalisation and economic growth appear to have a positive impact upon life expectancy in sub‐Saharan African economies, except for Gabon and Togo. Our empirical findings may provide insightful policy implications towards improving population health conditions which are vital for promoting the productivity of labour force and long‐run economic growth in sub‐Saharan African countries. In light of these policy implications, governments should incorporate globalisation, financial development and economic growth as key economic instruments in formulating sustainable developmental policy to promote life expectancy for the people in sub‐Saharan African countries.     

Are U.S. regions converging? Using new econometric methods to examine old issues

Are different regions of the United States experiencing convergence in levels of GDP? Carlino and Mills (1993) examined this question through time-series techniques, and found some evidence in favor of regional convergence. This paper checks the robustness of their results by using new econometric methods proposed by Vogelsang (1998). Our results, together with results from Loewy and Papell (1996), suggest there is stronger evidence in favor of convergence than previously thought based on the results of Carlino and Mills (1993). First version received: September 2000/Final version received: December 2000     

The Role of Foreign Direct Investment on Income Convergence in China after Early 1990s from a Spatial Econometric Perspective

This paper introduces foreign direct investment (FDI) as an endogenous variable based on a neoclassical model of economic growth and investigates the impact of FDI on income convergence in China using provincial panel data from 1991 to 2007. A spatial model is later exploited to further examine the effect of FDI on convergence in China in light of remarkable and positive spatial correlations among neighboring regions. Results of estimates confirm the role of FDI inflow as a significant driving force to promote conditional convergence in China after the early 1990s. They also confirm that the non‐spatial classical model underestimates the impact of FDI on regional economic growth and also underestimates the speed of convergence.     

International Consumption Patterns among High‐income Countries: Evidence from the OECD Data*

This paper examines the effect of economic integration on the product‐level consumption patterns across the OECD in the past decade. Estimation results find evidence of strong convergence in cross‐country consumption patterns with substantial heterogeneity across products and countries. The results are robust to either the benchmark choice, data selection, or the choice of model specification. In addition to documenting convergence, the paper relates the volume of international trade to cross‐country consumption patterns.     

会计准则国际趋同与“一带一路”建设*——基于中国对“一带一路”沿线各国直接投资视角的研究

本文首先详细梳理了“一带一路”沿线国家会计准则的适用情况，在此基础上，本文采用我国对“一带一路”沿线各国的对外直接投资数据，实证检验了中国和“一带一路”沿线各国会计语言的相似性与中国对其对外直接投资之间的关系。本文用会计准则国际趋同作为会计语言相似性的衡量方法，研究发现，相似的会计语言能够促进我国对“一带一路”沿线各国的对外直接投资，并且这种促进作用在“一带一路”合作倡议提出之后更加明显。本文进一步研究发现会计语言影响中国对“一带一路”沿线国家与地区直接投资的机制主要是缓解了东道国企业与我国投资者之间的信息不对称。上述结果表明,“一带一路”沿线国家会计准则的国际趋同对“一带一路”建设有重要促进作用；会计作为国际通用的商业语言，对国家、地区乃至全球社会经济发展具有重要推动意义。本文结论为会计准则国际趋同与“一带一路”建设的研究提供了新的经验与证据。     

中国区域经济趋同的空间异质性研究——来自空间杜宾分位数面板回归的证据

中国区域经济增长是否存在趋同,已有的实证文献在很大程度上忽视了趋同速率的空间异质性。本文基于新古典经济增长理论,构建空间杜宾面板分位数模型,考察了中国336个地级市经济增长趋同的空间异质性。研究表明,中国各地市经济增长总体上呈趋同状态,趋同速率随分位点增大呈U型。考虑资本在区域间自由流动,中低增长地区储蓄率作用显著降低。高增长地区受到周边经济带动作用小于中低增长地区,因而高增长地区的趋同速率更大。进一步分析发现,南、北方地区,东、西部地区均表现出俱乐部趋同特征,而中部地区内部表现出分异态势,即高增长地区发散,低增长地区趋同的特征。识别区域经济增长的空间异质性,对于政府更好地实施区域协调发展战略,缩小区域经济差异非常重要。     

贸易政策不确定性是否影响中国企业的对外直接投资概率*

本文基于中国企业微观数据，深入探讨了贸易政策不确定性对中国企业对外直接投资概率的影响。实证研究发现：贸易政策不确定性下降，能有效促进企业对外直接投资的发生，其影响机制是通过学习效应实现的。本文通过进一步检验，发现不同所有制类型、要素密集度、生产率的企业在面临贸易政策不确定性冲击时，其对外直接投资行为具有显著的异质性。该研究结论在考虑内生性问题、更换贸易不确定性的度量方式等稳健性检验后依然成立。     

Evidence on the Convergence of Per Capita Income: A Comparison of Founder Members of the Association of South East Asian Nations and the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation

This paper investigates the per capita income convergence patterns of a set of Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries. We obtained a time‐series analysis for stochastic convergence by applying unit‐root tests in the presence of two endogenously‐determined structural breaks. We then supplemented the results by tests that produced evidence for β convergence. The evidence shows that the relative per capita income series of ASEAN‐5 countries were consistent with stochastic convergence and β convergence, but this was not found for SAARC‐5 countries. For the ASEAN‐5 countries, the structural breaks associated with the world oil crisis and the Asian crisis impacted heavily on the convergence/divergence process.     

Demographic and Economic Pressure on Emigration out of Africa*

Two of the main forces driving European emigration in the late nineteenth century were real wage gaps between sending and receiving regions and demographic booms in the low‐wage sending regions. Our new estimates of net migration for the countries of sub‐Saharan Africa show that exactly the same forces driving African across‐border migration are at work today. The results suggest that rapid growth in the cohort of potential young emigrants, population pressure on the resource base, and slow economic growth are likely to intensify the pressure for migration out of Africa and into high‐wage OECD countries over the next two decades.