Beyond β, σ and clubs: A unified approach to measure economic convergence

Beyond β, σ and clubs: A unified approach to measure economic convergence | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Beyond β, σ and clubs: A unified approach to measure economic convergence Santiago Picasso This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7924994/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The study of convergence examines whether lagging economies are catching up with high-income economies. However, as the growth literature has recently pointed out the approach must be done by considering multi-country models. There are theoretical and empirical models that have attempted to overcome the weakness of a uni-country model. However, despite some recent advances, a full reconciliation between this new theoretical approach and the empirical methodology for measuring cross-country convergence has not yet been achieved. In this paper, drawing on complexity and graph theory, I propose a novel method that bridges the gap between convergence theory and its empirical measurement within a unified framework. This approach enables a more comprehensive assessment of both country-level convergence and the convergence of the global economic system. When estimating a convergence model with this methodology we observe: a) there is convergence between countries b) there is convergence in the global system in the period (1960-2019) but with a decreasing trend c) the graph allows us to identify between two and five groups of countries. This reflects the trend towards multipolarity in the globalized world. growth network complexity convergence ERGM Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7924994","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":541848864,"identity":"fa699338-bf1c-4a80-8c94-3d191dc5f83d","order_by":0,"name":"Santiago 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However, as the growth literature has recently pointed out the approach must be done by considering multi-country models. There are theoretical and empirical models that have attempted to overcome the weakness of a uni-country model. However, despite some recent advances, a full reconciliation between this new theoretical approach and the empirical methodology for measuring cross-country convergence has not yet been achieved. In this paper, drawing on complexity and graph theory, I propose a novel method that bridges the gap between convergence theory and its empirical measurement within a unified framework. This approach enables a more comprehensive assessment of both country-level convergence and the convergence of the global economic system. When estimating a convergence model with this methodology we observe: a) there is convergence between countries b) there is convergence in the global system in the period (1960-2019) but with a decreasing trend c) the graph allows us to identify between two and five groups of countries. 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