This paper documents several stylized facts on the real effects of economic uncertainty. First, higher uncertainty is associated with a more dispersed and negatively skewed distribution of output growth. Second, the response of economic growth to an increase in uncertainty is highly nonlinear...

This paper is a preliminary appraisal ofthe stylised facts and the major open questions - both methodological and Substantive - that have emerged in the empirical literature on international per-capita income and productivity convergence. On basis of various distinctivc lines of reasoning, it is...

The aim of this paper is to test for the presence of dynamic increasing returns to scale in Spanish regional growth between 1962 and 1991. The theoretical framework within which this paper is based is the so-called Verdoorn's Law. Tests of the law are performed not only for the manufacturing...

The present paper shows empirically that the youth dependency ratio (the population below working age divided by the population of working age) reduces economic growth even after controlling for institutions. The institutional variable, the paper controls for, is the measure for institutions...

While the debate over whether and why convergence between national productivity rates between countries over time has occurred is a lively one, the discussion has largely ignored two issues: the development of a generalized theoretical model of cross-country growth patterns that could explain...

The Cobb-Douglas production function (henceforth, "CDPF") is a widespread and useful tool in growth theory. However, the empirical evidence regarding the adequacy of the (aggregate) CDPF has been discussed controversially. By using an axiomatic/geometrical approach, we show that sector-level...

I study the real effects of mutual fund investment on productivity and output through their screening role in the new equity issues market. I present a simple model to show that when funds have information advantages over individuals about equity issuers, their participation in new equity issues...

This paper re-estimates the constant-elasticity-of-substitution (CES) specification of aggregate production function using newly constructed annual data on physical and human capital stocks for a panel of 134 countries observed over the period 1960-2011. In our estimation, we allow parameters to...

We review the growth experience of middle-income countries. Economic factors associated with growth appear to differ between middle income and other countries. The efficiency of the financial system is importantly related to the growth rate in low- and middle-income countries, but appears to...