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 …

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 …