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The development of regional economic integration/ convergence in the Pearl River Delta has been the planning goal for 40 years since the reform and opening up. On the basis of methodology about economic convergence, this study investigates the intercity border effects of nine cities in the Pearl River Delta from 2013 to 2020, according to the NPP-VIIRS nighttime light data. Geographically, in addition to Guangzhou being located in the center, the integration trend on the east bank of the Pearl River Delta is clear, whereas three different clusters are found on the west bank. Based on the clustering of three metropolitan areas, namely, Guangzhou–Foshan–Zhaoqing, Shenzhen–Dongguan–Huizhou, and Zhuhai–Zhongshan–Jiangmen, the convergence development and common improvement among the cities in the three metropolitan areas have large differences. Guangzhou–Foshan–Zhaoqing has no convergence trend at all, whereas narrowing gaps are found in Shenzhen-Dongguan-Huizhou. Economic convergence among cities are related to the industrial synergy development. On the basis of the research conclusion, attention should be given to the advantageous industries in each city instead of standing on the original metropolitan area planning. Periphery cities should understand their own industry advantages to proceed the industrial synergy development within core cities. • Barriers to economic convergence in PRD are the intra-metropolitan-area gaps. • Shenzhen–Dongguan–Huizhou shows a significant convergence trend. • Guangzhou–Foshan–Zhaoqing has no convergence trend at all. • Zhuhai–Zhongshan and Jiangmen–Zhongshan shows separate convergence trend. • High level of industry synergy can explain the economic convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose is to explore the impact of the business environment optimization by Criminal Law Regulation (CLR) on Entrepreneurial Spirit (ES) and Enterprise Development (ED) and to provide a reference for subsequent related research. Based on this, this work first makes a detailed analysis of the business environment and CLR. Second, the research hypotheses are put forward, and the conceptual model is proposed. At the same time, a Questionnaire Survey (QS) is designed to analyze the business environment, ES, and ED, and their relationships. Finally, a Structural Equation Model (SEM) is constructed and the CLR-optimized business environment is used as the intermediary variable to explore the impact of the business environment on ES and ED. Then, 200 QSs (recovering 192 valid ones) are distributed to investigate entrepreneurs' attitudes toward ES and ED in different regions. Statistical analysis and independent t-tests are performed on the survey results to judge the relationship between variables. The results of empirical analysis show that (1) The significance coefficient P of ES and ED is 0.005 < 0.01, and the scores of ES and ED of large enterprises are 132.7864 and 142.3243, respectively, which are the highest. Therefore, CLR-optimized business regulation has a significant positive impact on the ED. (2) The influence coefficient of CLR-optimized business regulation and ES is 0.60, and the influence coefficient of CLR-optimized business regulation and ED is 0.75. Therefore, CLR-optimized business regulation plays a positive role in the development of ES. CLR-optimized business regulation plays a regulating role between ES and ED. (3) CLR-optimized business regulation has a significant positive impact on the formation of ES. The policy enlightenment of this workmainly has three points. First, optimizing the business environment can stimulate and protect ES, thus improving the quality of economic growth. All regions should promote "mass entrepreneurship and innovation" and high-quality economic development by improving the convergence of economic policies and building a legal and market-oriented business environment. Second, all regions should implement dynamic and differentiated policies to optimize the business environment's spatial pattern in Chinese cities. Third, there is a need to further strengthen the construction of new infrastructure through cutting-edge information technologies, such as Fifth Generation (5G) mobile communication, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analysed the empirical importance of the capital flows in processes of economic convergence of the CEE region. We depart from reference net measures of capital flow reflecting the level of development of the financial system and focus on gross capital flow. Our econometric model is based on Seemingly Unrelated Regression Equation (SURE) elaborated by Arnold Zellner. This environment seems an alternative to standard panel regression, because it enables cross-country heterogeneity of parameters of interest (like pace of convergence). We tested several restrictions of the unconstrained SURE model, leading to simpler specifications that would allow for regional homogeneity of the role of a particular factor (like capital flows) in growth fluctuations and β-type convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Nicolaita de Estudios Económicos is the property of Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Technology Economics is the property of Chinese Society of Technology Economics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Maguaré is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Departamento de Antropologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents a multi-country version of the Ramsey growth model with cross-country technological interdependence. The results rationalize several stylized facts about growth and convergence. First, individual countries tend to converge toward country-specific balanced growth paths rather than steady-state equilibria. Second, an economy that accounts for a smaller share of the world technology distribution harnesses the "advantages of backwardness" to catch up at a faster speed. Third, countries grow at different rates during the phase of transitional dynamics. However, technological interdependence creates a force toward cross-country convergence in the growth rate and stability of world income distribution in the long run. Finally, cross-country differences in structural characteristics and initial conditions lead to divergences in the level of income per capita. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem encountered by transition countries or developing countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the process of European integration, requires a certain degree of sectoral harmonization of its economy with the European Union economy in the function of convergence towards the EU at the macroeconomic level. The aim of this research is to problematize the importance of meeting the conditions and criteria of convergence for joining the European Union, by analyzing the sectoral compatibility of the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the economy of the European Union, using the comparative analysis method. In the continuation of the paper a comparative analysis of the economic structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the economy of the European Union will be presented, with a view to determining their structural coherence. The application of the Krugman specialization index and the Balassin specialization index will result in a clearer and more transparent comparative analysis of the structural coherence of the B&H economy with respect to the European Union's economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to investigate the motivations of countries that participate in the One Belt and One Road (B&R) Initiative, a China-led economic development program with the intention of enhancing regional economic cooperation. We examine the income convergence hypothesis for B&R countries with both linear and nonlinear unit root tests to detect the presence of economic integration over the periods 1960–2016 and 1979–2016. For the B&R countries that are found to show income convergence to China in our income convergence testing, we argue that they tend to have a strong existing economic relationship with China. By contrast, the countries that have relatively weak economic relationships with China tend to show no convergence to China, and they take advantage of the B&R as an opportunity to catch up. Moreover, we find evidence that more countries converge to China's real per capita income for the years after 1978 when China started its transition to a market economy and initiated the open-door policy to embrace globalization. The results suggest that China contributes to a higher degree of income convergence in regional integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last quarter of the 20th century was a period of sustained economic growth across many countries. Countries' institutional arrangements have been commonly employed as factors in the convergence studies of economic growth and income levels. However, the issue of whether institutions themselves converge has been under-researched. Using the nonparametric distribution dynamics approach and a sample of 194 countries during the 1980-2010 period, we examine a tendency for countries' informational transparency (IT) to converge over time. We find that whilst there is some evidence of unconditional convergence across countries, there is stronger evidence for convergence clubs to emerge, at both regional and income levels. Notably, the level of IT of the low- and lowermiddle- income countries and those situated in Africa, and Middle East regions tend to converge towards a level significantly below the global average. We also find a strong relationship between income and IT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union member states face a new increase of inequality. Thereby, decreasing regional inequality among its regions is one of the central political aims of the European Union and is addressed in almost all European development strategies. It seems that the results of the strategies in terms of cohesion are ambiguous and certain targets have been missed. More dramatically, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the European countries differently. It is to be assumed that the disparities among European regions tend to increase again, not only between the different directions, but also between core and peripheral regions within countries. The article at hand aims to contribute to the ongoing discussion by showing that not only recent development trends indicate a dysfunctional convergence process but also the economic specialisation can become a significant disadvantage for certain regions considering current global megatrends that might lead to a conservation of existing disparity patterns. The article therefore arguments that European Structural Policy needs to recognise the shortcomings of the past and calls for a regional policy that focuses on endogenous growth potential in regions rather than financial transfer alone. Smart Specialisation could be an instrument to develop and push such endogenous growth potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South-East European (SEE) countries are experiencing high emigration, resulting in a significant increase in remittance inflows, exceeding FDI flows. Today the most important challenge facing SEE countries is how to grow at a higher speed to achieve faster economic convergence with the EU. The objective of the paper is to empirically examine the relevance of remittances as a factor of economic growth, using quarterly balanced panel data set of six SEE countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, and Serbia (SEE6) over 2008q1-2020q2. Panel regression with the fixed-effects model is employed to account for potential cross-section heterogeneity. This study provides original econometric evidence that remittances have a significant positive impact on economic growth in our panel of SEE6. Those results will be useful both to scholars and policymakers in the process of the creation of policies that will direct remittances into investments in the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses, for the first time, potential convergence patterns of hotel revenues across provinces in China. Through the club clustering methodology, the analysis uses a unique dataset of all hotels across all Chinese provinces. The findings document that these hotel revenues follow a diverging pattern on a national level, while a converging pattern is identified across certain provinces, thus forming specific clubs. When the analysis is extended to identify potential drivers for such diverging or converging behavior, the new results illustrate the role of productivity trends, management strategies and tax policies as those factors that drive such patterns. The results could be of substantial value, primarily for tourism policymakers to further improve the current framework of the Chinese hotel industry to introduce practices and policies that will allow the industry to catch up with the global market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We test for economic convergence in GDP per capita and consumption per capita within two distinct sets of countries: those with significant (and plausibly exogenous) fossil fuel (FF) endowments and those without such endowments. Among countries with FF endowments, we find evidence of both absolute and conditional convergence across both macroeconomic dimensions, as indicated by standard β- and σ-convergence tests. By contrast, we do not find robust evidence of convergence among countries without FF endowments. This pattern—convergence among FF-endowed and non-convergence among non-endowed countries—is robust to changes in the sample period, controlling for potential resource curse effects, and is largely consistent across growth components. We discuss the implications for economic development and comment on its implications for global decarbonization policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Galician Journal of Economics / Revista Galega de Economía is the property of Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Servicio de Publicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper investigates the relationship between economic growth and regional income inequality in a spatial econometric perspective. The role of space in the measure of inequality is discussed, and a new theoretical model that relates inequality with economic growth is introduced. The proposed model extends a spatial Mankiw–Romer–Weil specification by introducing regional income inequality as a determinant of economic growth. The measure of inequality proposed as a covariate in the model is derived by a spatial decomposition of the Gini index. An empirical analysis focused on European Union NUTS-2 regions is carried out to illustrate the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core infrastructure, which covers transportation, information and communication (ICT), energy, water and sanitation systems, plays a significant role in economic growth. The development of core infrastructure – one of the European Union (EU) Cohesion Policy (CP) priorities – is heavily funded. However, it remains unclear whether these investments achieve the main aim, i.e. contribute to economic growth and convergence between EU countries and especially regions. A theoretical model addressing the identified issues is needed to assess the impact of infrastructure on economic growth and convergence comprehensively and as accurately as possible. To reach this aim, first, we have disclosed the definition of infrastructure and its structure. Also, we discussed different approaches to the relationship between infrastructure and economic growth. We developed a theoretical model for evaluating infrastructure impact on economic growth and convergence. Moreover, based on the neoclassical approach, we specified an econometric model that includes indicators of different types of infrastructure and assessed growth and convergence outcomes of infrastructure development. Even though we find that infrastructure positively affects growth and convergence, the estimated impact is not statistically significant except for some types of ICT and transport infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the area of profound changes aimed at federalization of power and a new division of powers in the European Union, the most visible asymmetry is a certain asymmetry in the number and content of publications by authors from Western Europe and Poland. An important catalyst of the need for the transformation of the EU is the struggle of democratic states against authoritarian and totalitarian systems, but also the integration of states within the EU. An effective way for the EU to win this fight is to deepen political, economic, climate, and organizational and institutional integration in relations with the Member States in order to achieve higher efficiency of functioning both internally and externally. It consists in adjusting the objectives of the European policies of the Member States to the geopolitical strategy of the EU. The aim of the author's research in the presented article was to draw attention not only to the presentation of the EU as a Western civilization at a "crossroads" in the understanding of the scientific and technical revolution by R. Richty, L. Zacher, E. Szumacher and H. McRae, or combining the globalization process with local needs and individual citizens, but rather the presentation of the need to deepen the functional, structural and network integration of the EU, supported by M. Castels, J. Habermas, A. Giddens, E. Grande and J. Zielonka in the political, socio-economic, cultural and military dimensions. The adopted narrative-descriptive and explanatory style was based on the analysis of the results of research carried out using the disk research method, mainly on the secondary analysis of literature, reports and the views expressed in them by outstanding specialists in the field of sociology and political science, who focused their research interests on outlining the network and imperial model of country integration European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We live in a rapidly changing, uncertain environment. The political and economic strength of countries and regions is changing based on their capabilities to become more resilient, futureoriented and knowledge-based. In this environment, basic economic indicators like growth measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) do not measure future readiness, resilience to change, or development in general, as they are based on past decisions. This paper argues that in order to be able to successfully adapt to the changing environment, economic and social achievements have to be measured not by growth indicators, but by development ones, which highlight real progress and convergence. Among them, intangible asset and intangible investment indicators are especially crucial, as they measure the real health of the economy and society. The key competitive factor on which progress will be based is human capital with good health, knowledge and skills. The paper proves that countries with excellent growth results lag behind in terms of development achievements, measured by the mentioned intangibles. This discrepancy may lead to a dangerous development trap situation. The paper uses statistical data of different countries to prove its suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ekonomika is the property of Society of Economists 'Ekonomika' and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Administrative Sciences / Yonetim Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart Universitesi, Terzioglu Kampusu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Due to its specificity, animal production depends to a lesser extent than plant production on agrometeorological conditions. Interdependence between the prices of animal products and climatic conditions manifests itself primarily through the fodder markets, which determine the profitability of animal breeding and keeping. The process of economic integration should contribute to a decline in price differentiation between European Union (EU) countries. In the case of the pig market, however, it is necessary to bear in mind the pig cycle, which particularly affects the supply of livestock and their prices. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) currently implemented is not adapted to the turbulent global challenges and, underlining the lack of tools adequate to the increasingly frequent and stronger price fluctuations in agricultural markets, consider it necessary to quickly implement a new strategic reformatting of the EU agricultural policy. This study aims to examine the stochastic convergence between prices on the pig market in the EU countries. The research was conducted using, among others, the augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test and the Johansen test. The monthly data from January 2008 (2008M1) to December 2019 (2019M12) were used in this study (Eurostat, Statistical Yearbook of Agriculture). The conducted research indicates the existence of convergence paths between some countries and the group of EU-15 countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The convergence of per capita gdp growth rates of less developed countries towards those of more industrialized economies is a central debate amongst growth economists. This study contributes to the literature by examining whether South Africa, as arguably Africa's most developed economy, converges towards the growth of her main trading partners (i.e. Belgium, Botswana, China, Germany, India, Japan, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, South Korea, United Arab Emirates (uae), United Kingdom (uk), United States (us), Zambia and Zimbabwe). To this end, we examine the integration properties of per capita gdp differences between South Africa and each of her trading partners and we particularly employ unit root testing procedures which are robust to estar-type nonlinearities and unobserved smooth structural breaks. Our empirical evidence points to convergence between South Africa and Belgium, Botswana, China, Germany, India, Japan, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, South Korea, the uae, the uk and the us but not with Zambia and Zimbabwe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether the Internet is a determining factor in explaining economic growth and convergence across countries when it acts as a channel of information and knowledge diffusion. Literature has identified around 140 possible growth factors, therefore given the contradictory results obtained from previous empirical studies it is crucial we understand the actual role of the Internet. Using the conditional convergence theory and a Bayesian panel data model averaging method from a sample of 100 countries between 1994 and 2017, our results demonstrate that an increase in access to the Internet is a non-determinant factor in economic convergence, being its probability of inclusion in the true growth model conditioned by the regressors included in the estimates and the time span analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With 228 matched U.S. industries for 2002 and 2020, aggregated data has slightly rising management intensity (MI), defined as management’s share of total employment, and minimally declining management wage premium (MWP), defined as the average wage for management divided by the average wage for all other workers. Meaningful pattern differences in MI and MWP across economic sectors are found along with unconditional divergence from 2002 to 2020 in MI, but unconditional convergence in MWP from 2002 to 2020. No association is found between MI and total employment growth, but a negative association between MWP and total employment growth exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Article proposes a reunderstanding of what is conventionally called China’s legal system. It argues that a number of observations about its institutions are not plausibly explained using the conventional vocabulary and concepts of legality. When we see inconsistencies, we tend to explain them as signs of the immaturity of the legal system, or as mistakes, or as unrepresentative aberrations. This kind of explanation is driven by a conscious or subconscious convergence theory. But we have to take these inconsistencies seriously and come up with a theory does not require us to treat them as inconsistencies; a theory that treats them as features, not bugs. This Article argues that China has been building a system for the maintenance of order and the political primacy of the Chinese Communist Party (“CCP”), not for the delivery of justice. It urges that we should not make ethnocentric assumptions about how various institutions in China—or indeed in any society with which we are not familiar— do or should operate merely on the basis of similarity of (translated) name or apparent isomorphism. If too many observations don’t fit the model, then it’s time to change the model, not to dismiss the observations. The argument presented here—that we should look beyond the “rule of law” model as the sole way of analyzing and measuring a society’s order maintenance institutions—has implications for our understanding of authoritarian governance beyond just China. It is customary to locate authoritarian, non-democratic states at a midpoint on a spectrum with no rule of law at one end and perfect rule of law at the other, the midpoint being labeled “rule by law.” But “rule by law” turns out to be a thin and unsatisfactory concept. Applying this label amounts to saying not much more than that the institutions in question don’t measure up to the rule-of-law standard. We must learn to look for the apparent outliers, the errors and imperfections, and to ask ourselves whether they can be incorporated into a different paradigm that treats them as normal and expected. We might well find that the variety of human institutions is far richer than we had imagined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental taxation has been a permanent feature of the policy agenda over the past few decades. It has represented about 2.5 percent of GDP and 6 percent of total taxation in the EU in recent years. In this paper, we study the evolution of total environmental taxation and its two main subcategories, energy and transport taxes, as a percentage of GDP and as a share of total taxation in the EU, through a club convergence analysis of the period 1995–2016. From the GDP perspective, the results show three groups of countries or clubs for the total environmental taxation and only two clubs for the two other categories analysed. Considering the taxation structure perspective, two clusters emerge for the total environmental taxes, three for the energy case and only one for the transport taxation, denoting overall convergence in this case. These results indicate a high grade of convergence in environmental taxation in the EU. • Environmental taxation has been a permanent feature of the policy agenda and specifically of tax harmonisation in the EU. • There is evidence of club convergence for the total environmental taxation as a percentage of GDP in the EU, with three groups. • There is evidence of club convergence for the energy and transport taxes as a percentage of GDP in the EU, with two clusters in each category. • There is overall convergence for transport taxation as a percentage of total taxation in the EU. • Policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Serbian Journal of Management is the property of Serbian Journal of Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper evaluates the convergence paths of Central and Eastern European member states of the EU during the 2010s, when the main task for these countries was avoiding the middle-income trap—when wages are not so low anymore to compete with less developed countries, while innovation is not developed enough yet to compete with developed countries. Using various statistical indicators, the paper shows that while most countries in the region have been on a convergence path during the decade under analysis, not all succeeded in avoiding the trap. While some countries successfully implemented policies to step on the path of productivity- and innovation-led growth (Czechia, Slovenia, Estonia, and Lithuania), in several other states, growth was supported mainly by low costs and loose monetary conditions including significant transfers from the EU. The comparative analysis of Estonia and Hungary illustrates the different growth models and shows how the institutional system plays a key role in exiting the trap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tighter competition of any economic entities leads to the use of such a mechanism to combat it as economic convergence — the rapprochement of the activities of various economic entities, aimed at increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of its participants. At the same time, the most important modern trend in social development is digitalization, which also has an impact on convergence processes in the economy. Disclosure of the impact of digitalization on convergence processes includes consideration of the stages of development of digitalization, levels of convergence, their relationship, as well as identifying the directions and results of the impact of the last stage of digitalization on modern economic convergence. The results of the study are the identified parameters of economic convergence and their content, the disclosure of the business model characteristics of entrepreneurial activity within the framework of modern economic convergence, the possibilities of joint business implemented by intersectoral convergence, as well as the prerequisites of joint business due to the influence of the digitalization factor on all these processes. Keywords: economic convergence, convergence parameters, digitalization, business model of entrepreneurial activity within the framework of intersectoral economic convergence, prerequisites for the effectiveness of joint business.

This paper analyzes the European innovation framework focusing on four Eurozone candidates: Romania, Poland, Hungary, and Czech Republic. In the last decades, almost two-thirds of Europe’s economic growth has been driven by innovation. This idea is supported by impressive scientific findings concerning the correlation between innovation and economic growth. We believe that better innovation performance stimulates economic convergence and in the long term, facilitates the candidates’ transition towards Euro currency adoption. The countries in the study demonstrate a low innovative performance pattern, as our SWOT analysis will show. First, the gross domestic expenditure on research and development levels are far below the Union average. Secondly, there is a lack of cooperation between the academic and business sector, leading to a decreasing number of skilled personnel in the innovation industries. Lastly, these countries are suffering from an incoherent strategy aimed at reducing the productivity gap between domestic and foreign-owned firms. In order for these CEE Eurozone candidates to improve their European Innovation Score and their competitiveness, we recommend increasing investments in R&D, infrastructure, education, healthcare, clean energy and shifting towards higher value-added activities. We are also suggesting supporting digital innovation hubs, the creation of new companies, and facilitating access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses.

The European Union has overcome complex challenges since its foundation, being considered a successful story and a guarantor of political and economic stability within the European continent. However, the subsequent waves of enlargement of the European group have been accompanied by an increase of economic and social disparities between countries and regions. The main purpose of this paper is to study income convergence in the European Union by focusing on the regions at NUTS 2 level. In this respect, we have tested the neoclassical growth model assumptions, using the (unconditional) β- and σ-convergence indicators for 236 regions between 2000 and 2018. We have also tried to identify the winning regions of the catching-up process in Central and Eastern Europe. Our study confirms the neoclassical growth model assumptions considering that the less developed regions from Central and Eastern Europe experienced higher GDP growth rates than the developed ones. However, in some Central and Eastern European countries, the improvement of the economic performances of the capitals was accompanied by an increase of income disparities at national level. Overall, our study suggests that Central and Eastern European regions have made impressive progress since 2000, the main winners being the capitals. In contrast, some of the regions from Southern Europe are on a downward path, with negative growth rates, which pose into question the objective of convergence in the European Union.

Abstract Justice is the most important principle in Islam and measures the extent to which decisions in Islamic countries comply with Islamic doctrine. Economic justice is a sub-domain of justice and is further subdivided to distributive justice. Distributive justice implies that improvement in economic well-being of an individual occurs to the detriment of another’s. The present study investigates economic convergence of Islamic justice in selected Islamic countries (Albania, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Niger, Pakistan, Senegal, Tajikistan, Turkey, Yemen And Tunisia) during 1995–2015 using beta-type convergence and generalized method of moment. It is argued that growth rate of income distribution in communities that suffer from bad income distribution system will move in the long run towards fair distribution. Results of absolute beta convergence indicate convergence of Gini coefficient at rate of 0.31. The Gini coefficient is significant at 1%. Moreover, results of conditional beta convergence reveal convergence of Gini coefficient. Inflation rate and GDP positively affect this convergence.

There has been substantial research on the value of young firms engaging high-quality partners. This literature, as well as the broader firm reputation literature, has tended to assume that individuals leading such firms find it relatively easy to accurately assess potential partner quality as reflected in their track record of past performance and behavior. Yet this prior work has largely focused on information-rich environments where potential partners are generally large and receive substantial public attention, and with whom evaluators may have high familiarity. In contrast, we draw on bounded rationality to theorize about how in information-sparse environments, individuals may misperceive the quality indicated by a firm's objective track record. We argue that accurate evaluations depend not only on individuals' motivation and ability to access information but on the convergence of these factors with attributes of the potential partner being evaluated. We test and find support for our framework using a novel dataset of 1,278 ratings of the quality of 153 early-stage venture capital firms by entrepreneurs that approached these firms for investments. Overall, this paper extends understanding of firm reputation dynamics to information-sparse contexts, and explores why individuals such as entrepreneurs may at times have difficulty accurately evaluating partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a measurement of culture on the product category level, called the cultural embeddedness of products (CEP) scale, and progresses the scale in accordance with standard procedures. It defines CEP as the degree to which a product is connected with ethnic/national culture. The centrality of national/ethnic identity and culture, and its meanings for individuals, lead us to propose CEP as predictive of consumer attitudes and intentions. In particular, we posit that CEP plays a role for local products and potential brands, similar to that played by perceived brand globalness for global brands. We validate a two dimensional CEP scale in two cultures - American and Norwegian - and find that the scale exhibits good psychometric qualities in both. We also present the particularly consistent effects of the ethnic identity relevance dimension of CEP on attitudes and purchase intentions through perceived product quality. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for marketing research theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pasado y Memoria. Revista de Historia Contemporánea is the property of Pasado y Memoria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Meat consumption in Romania is increasing, but domestic production is stagnant. Although animal husbandry is a basic branch of the Romanian economy, its share in agricultural production has had a downward trend in recent years. This important component of agriculture has a high potential for development, which is supported by a number of factors, including access to raw materials, the upward trend in domestic meat consumption, the record level of trade in meat, the prospect of further European economic convergence, and the consequences of the pandemic-induced shock. Domestic meat consumption has shown an upward trend in recent years, supported by an increase in household income. Meat production in Romania is below meat consumption, in the analyzed period 2015 - 2019, so it cannot ensure the necessary consumption of meat from its own production. In 2015, the production of meat per capita has a value of 54.75 kg, and the value of meat consumption per capita is 66.02 kg. In 2019, the production of meat per capita has the lowest value, of 54.72 kg, the consumption of meat per capita has the highest value of this analyzed period, of 69.85 kg. Meat consumption has been steadily rising, but Romania's GDP, urbanization and the FAO Food Price Index have had very little influence on it. In terms of meat consumption in the European Union, it is found that Belgium has the lowest value of 54.71 kg/capita (it is the fourth largest meat producer in the EU with 158.94 kg / capita), and the highest meat consumption is in Spain with 98.79 kg / capita, and Romania is ranked twenty-fourth. Meat production / capita in the European Union has the highest value in Denmark with 326.14 kg/capita and the lowest value is in Malta with 27.32 kg/capita, Romania ranks seventeenth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to analyze the degree of convergence of the horticultural sector in Romania with other EU member states taking into consideration the competitiveness indicators. In order to be able to establish a causal link between the factors of competitiveness in determining the degree of convergence of the horticultural sector, certain indicators of competitiveness were considered such as the family income of the holding per annul work unit (AWU) and the net added value per unit of annual work. In addition, other indicators were calculated, such as gross value added/AWU and the total value of production. These indicators were calculated based on FADN data, covering the period 2013-2018 including for several other member states of the European Union in order to make comparisons with Romania. The results show a low level of competitiveness compared to all countries analyzed, which indicates that the horticultural sector in Romania is not yet close to achieving the economic convergence with the main EU horticultural sectors of some countries which represent Romania's competitors in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction is presented to the article "analyzing the convergence property of solutions generated from Algorithm."

The contribution by Kremer, Willis, and You revisit cross-country convergence patterns over the past 6 decades. They provide evidence that the lack of convergence that applied early in the sample has now been replaced by modest convergence. They also argue this relationship is driven by convergence in various determinants of economic growth across countries and a flattening of the relationship between these determinants and growth. Although the patterns documented by the authors are intriguing, our reanalysis finds that these results are driven by the lack of country fixed effects controlling for unobserved determinants of gross domestic product per capita across countries. We show theoretically and empirically that failure to include country fixed effects will create a bias in convergence coefficients toward zero and this bias can be time varying, even when the underlying country-level parameters are stable. These results are relevant not just for the current paper but also for the convergence literature more generally. Our reanalysis finds no evidence of major changes in patterns of convergence and, more importantly, no flattening of the relationship between institutional variables and economic growth. Focusing on democracy, we show that this variable's impact continues to be precisely estimated and if anything a little larger than at the beginning of the sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have investigated the behaviour of trade flows at the aggregate level, thus they suffer from aggregation bias. In this paper, we use the sectoral data on agricultural exports and imports to examine whether they cointegrate. The likelihood-based panel cointegration technique is applied to investigate the long-run convergence between the variables for 13 industrialized countries. The results indicate that a long-run steady-state relationship exists between the variables for most countries in the sample. The policy implications of our findings are that agricultural trade does not lead to the violation of international budget constraints and, more importantly, there is no productivity gap in the agriculture sector between the domestic economy and the rest of the world, implying a lack of permanent technological shocks to the domestic economy. The results also provide support for intra-industry trade in the agriculture sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem encountered by transition countries or developing countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the process of European integration, requires a certain degree of sectoral harmonization of its economy with the European Union economy in the function of convergence towards the EU at the macroeconomic level. The aim of this research is to problematize the importance of meeting the conditions and criteria of convergence for joining the European Union, by analyzing the sectoral compatibility of the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the economy of the European Union, using the comparative analysis method. In the continuation of the paper a comparative analysis of the economic structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the economy of the European Union will be presented, with a view to determining their structural coherence. The application of the Krugman specialization index and the Balassin specialization index will result in a clearer and more transparent comparative analysis of the structural coherence of the B&H economy with respect to the European Union's economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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During the Golden Age (1950–1973), Portugal stood out in the international scene, converging economically with the group of more industrialised economies. In this paper, we start by analysing the main factors that explain the extraordinary economic performance of Portugal during that crucial period of its history. Next, we construct and estimate a dynamic model to quantify the relationship between those factors and the Portuguese economic growth in the time horizon that stretches from the Golden Age to present days. The results obtained show that investment and international trade have been contributing positively to economic growth of Portugal in the last decades, 1950–2018. The conclusions of this paper, which are in line with the international literature, reinforce the importance for Portuguese decision-makers to adopt political measures to open the economy and to create favourable conditions for investment in order to obtain a faster economic growth that allows a robust convergence with the most industrialized nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since globalisation accelerated in the early 1990s, income inequality has increased in most developed countries and in some middle-income countries, including China and India. Also, inequality has declined in most countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and in many Sub-Saharan African and South Asian countries. This observation corroborates the neoclassical models of convergence that predict that, in the long-run, income distribution will tend to converge across countries. In this study, I examined whether there has been convergence in inequality between 2000 and 2015. To this end, I constructed a large panel of Gini indices of 142 countries and tested for the existence of convergence clubs using the econometric methodology proposed by Phillips and Sul. The results indicate that there is no uniform convergence to one club. Instead, I found that countries' income inequalities are converging into five different clubs. This finding is different from those reported by the few existing c ross-country studies on convergence in inequality. Furthermore, the analysis reveals strong evidence that between-club inequality increases, while within-club inequality decreases over the years. Between-club inequality is found to be determined by population growth, population density and the ratio of physical to human capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2020 pandemic has led to economic recession in the European Union, rising unemployment, falling purchasing power among the majority of citizens and has forced national institutions to intervene with many measures that have led to rising budget deficits and public debt. As of 2021, the Recovery and Resilience Facility has been approved at EU level, to the purpose of economic recovery and increasing the economic resilience of EU Member States. This paper analyses Romania's fulfilment of the nominal convergence criteria, the evolution of Romania's gross domestic product pre- and post-pandemic, the main measures foreseen in Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan to ensure a green, digital transition and economic and social resilience, as well as the funds available to Romania through the NRRP for investments and structural reforms necessary for economic growth and nominal convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential that a high level of real convergence is achieved before joining the euro area, as major differences can lead to difficulties in managing the business cycles, in the absence of an independent monetary policy. Therefore, each country should ensure a sufficient level of GDP per capita before the accession. But what can be considered sufficient? Looking back, most euro candidates had a GDP per capita level of 70%-80% of the EU level when adopting the euro currency. Although Romania has made significant progress lately, the following still need to be achieved: labor market reforms, massive infrastructure investments, reducing the regional gaps, increasing innovation investments, and growing budget revenues. The purpose of this paper is to identify the economic and social factors that influence real convergence in Romania, as we believe that working towards increasing real convergence will create the right framework for improving nominal convergence performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hungary's convergence to the developed western economies has been much slower than initially expected. Applying the FOI model, this study investigates whether there were any changes in the convergence process during the first two decades of the 21st century. It is found that the future potential (influencing the long-term competitiveness of the economy) and inside potential (determining the current well-being of the country) of the Hungarian economy did not improve at all compared to the 34 countries that were OECD members in 2010. Hungary's position is in fact very poor; it is ranked 33rd in both areas. The country does somewhat better in the outside potential (characterising its world market position), prompting the conclusion that Hungary follows a growth model that is focused on external resources. This feature is not new, however: the same development model patterns were detected in 2010, too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Textual is the property of Universidad Autonoma Chapingo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)