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...

We implement a “parsimonious” and operational approach to measuring economic and social upgrading over 1990-2009 in four global value chains -- apparel, mobile phones, agrofoods and tourism -- based entirely on data published by international institutions. Economic upgrading is defined as a...

The paper discusses the extent of the structural change and its causes and implications for policy and theory. According to the paper, structural change is due to the rise of trade in intermediate goods. It emphasizes theories to be more focused on the competitive struggle of absolute advantage...