Martin Ravallion ("Why Don't We See Poverty Convergence?" American Economic Review, 102(1): 504-23; 2012) presents evidence against the existence of poverty convergence in aggregate data despite the conditional convergence of per capita income levels and the close linkage between growth and...

Information technology (IT) is an example of a general purpose technology that has the potential to play an important role in economic growth, as well as other dimensions of economic and social development. This paper reviews several interrelated aspects of the role of information technology in...

This paper examines Papua New Guinea's economic growth record within a simple growth ccounting framework. The analysis shows that reductions in growth are mostly accounted for by a significant slowdown in capital inputs and lower total factor productivity growth. On average, no productivity...

Countries with more developed financial markets (as measured by the private debt-to-GDP ratio) tend to have significantly lower aggregate volatility. This relationship is also highly non-linear starting from a low level of financial development the reduction in aggregate volatility by financial...

This paper has examined Papua New Guinea's historical economic growth patterns through a simple growth accounting framework. The analysis shows that swings in growth are mostly accounted for by a significant slowdown in capital input and lower Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth. It also...

In a sample of 110 countries over the period 1960–2009, we document a positive relation between the volatility and skewness of growth in the cross-section. This novel stylized fact is related to two distinct mechanisms: sudden growth spurts in emerging markets, and sharp financial...

This paper studies the relationship between GDP fluctuations and long-run economic growth through using macro-panel approach (with small N and large T) in a panel of five selected South Asian countries (SSAC) including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka over a period of 1980-2010....

Using a comprehensive database on bank credit, covering 135 developing countries over the period 1960–2011, we identify, document, and compare the macro-economic dynamics of credit booms across low- and middle-income countries. The results suggest that while the duration and magnitude of...

Objective: The objective of this article is to examine the role of democracy in strengthening the resilience of developing economies in the face of exogenous negative external shocks. Research Design & Methods: To achieve our research objectives, we used the duration model to estimate how...

This paper explores the relationship between output volatility and economic development. We develop a methodology to assess countries' extent of sectoral diversification. The productive structure of a country tends to be risky when the country (i) specializes in highly volatile sectors, (ii) has...