In the paper we assess the convergence hypothesis for the Italian economy over the period 1951-2000, using a new methodological approach. The approach is based on a two-step recursive principal components estimator, allowing to monitor the progress of the convergence process over time and to...

In this paper we investigate the long-run growth process in Italy and the US over the period 1920-2001, using a common trends model. Coherent with the neoclassical growth model, we find that long-run economic growth can be explained by two permanent shocks, namely a technological shock and a...