The topic of convergence is at the heart of a wide-ranging debate in the growth literature. Empirical studies of … convergence differ widely in their theoretical backgrounds, empirical specifications and in their treatment of cross …-sectional heterogeneity. Despite these differences, a rate of convergence of about 2% has been found under a variety of different conditions …

In this paper, the process of productivity convergence is investigated for the enlarged European Union using regional … control for spatial effects. All specifications confirm the presence of convergence with an annual speed between 3 and 3 … in the speed of convergence across the regions, where a higher speed is striking in particular in France and the UK …

Convergence of EU regions is an often examined research question. However, there are no studies available which include … in their analysis the New Member States from the former Eastern Bloc. We estimate several models of absolute convergence … and of conditional convergence taking into account the different initial conditions of the regions from each country …

This paper provides an empirical analysis of energy- and labour-productivity convergence at a detailed sectoral level … for 14 OECD countries, covering the period 1970-1997. A fã-convergence analysis shows that the development of cross …-country variation in productivity performance depends on the level of aggregation. Both patterns of convergence as well as divergence …

In this paper, the process of productivity convergence is investigated for the enlarged European Union using regional … control for spatial effects. All specifications confirm the presence of convergence with an annual speed between 3 and 3 … in the speed of convergence across the regions, where a higher speed is striking in particular in France and the UK …

Discussion on the possibilities for and barriers to income convergence and catch-up growth is at the heart of the … catch-up. Both convergence and divergence of productivity across regions are possible. Results show that all considered …