Sectoral productivity trends: convergence islands in oceans of non-convergence

Growth theory argues that thresholds can lead to multiple growth regimes, which are reflected in heterogeneous patterns of cross-country convergence and divergence. We study sectoral convergence patterns by using a new longitudinal sectoral database for 65 developed and developing countries. We employ an econometric method, quantile smoothing splines, which explicitly allows for identification of parameter heterogeneity both with regard to initial conditions (X-heterogeneity) and growth performances (Y-heterogeneity). Findings suggest that convergence is rather the exception than the rule. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014