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Exploring the North–South Gap Longitudinally

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2003

RAFAEL REUVENY  and
WILLIAM R. THOMPSON
RAFAEL REUVENY
Affiliation:
School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, [email protected]
WILLIAM R. THOMPSON
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Indiana University, IN 47405, Bloomington, [email protected]
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Abstract

Previous studies on economic convergence have been handicapped by the lack of sufficient serial data. Real GDP per capita are now available for 56 states. With some interpolation, we create series from 1870 to 1992 for Northern (developed countries) and Southern (lesser developed countries) aggregates. The data are explored by extending the leadership-long cycle perspective to deal with convergence. We find that North–South inequalities, at least those based on GDP per capita data, have been expanding. The corresponding growth rates reveal long waves, providing an important clue related to iterations of radical technological changes and their incomplete diffusion in explaining the North–South gap. We believe that convergence is unlikely any time soon without radical restructuring of global economic growth prospects.

Type
Research Article
Information
Japanese Journal of Political Science , Volume 4 , Issue 1 , May 2003 , pp. 77 - 102
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

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