We identify structural breaks in economic growth in 140 countries and use these to define ""growth spells:"" periods of high growth preceded by an upbreak and ending either with a downbreak or with the end of the sample. Growth spells tend to be shorter in African and Latin American countries...

Intro -- Contents -- I. INTRODUCTION -- II. BASIC FRAMEWORK -- III. BASELINE CALIBRATIONS -- IV. DOMESTIC ADDITIONAL EFFORT, POVERTY TRAPS, AND "TAKEOFF" -- V. EXTENSIONS -- VI. CONCLUDING REMARKS -- REFERENCES.

We analyze the growth impact of official development assistance to developing countries. Our approach is different from that of previous studies in two major ways. First, we disentangle the effects of two kinds of aid: developmental and non-developmental. Second, our specifications allow for the...