Industrial Productivity Convergence in China

This paper examines the convergence process of industrial productivity between Chinese regions. Both σ- and β-convergences are investigated using a panel data set of 30 provinces and autonomous regions over the period 1985-1999. Unconditional σ- and β-convergence methods fail to detect productivity convergence over the whole sample period, although they suggest convergence during a sub-period 1985-1990. The estimates of a human capital enhanced production function, with the constant return to scale constraint, show that productivity gaps between Chinese regions declined during 1985-1999 with a rate of convergence of around 1.3% per annum. Similar results are also found when the data are disaggregated into three broader geographic regions.