IS THERE CONVERGENCE ACROSS COUNTRIES? A SPATIAL APPROACH.

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• International Relations
• Economics

Background:

• Globalization theories propose increasing country similarity over time.
• Previous research has explored various dimensions of global convergence.
• Understanding convergence patterns is crucial for international policy and economic development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze cross-national convergence over the last half-century.
• To investigate convergence across economic, demographic, knowledge, financial, and political dimensions.
• To assess the impact of globalizing forces on country similarity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a novel methodology involving the minimum volume ellipsoid.
• Analyzed country data from 1960 to 2009.
• Examined convergence through the lens of modernization, dependency, world-system, political trade blocs, and world-society theories.

Main Results:

• Overall, countries did not become significantly more similar to one another during the study period.
• Groups of countries based on core-periphery status showed increasing internal convergence.
• Membership in political trade blocs led to greater internal convergence and inter-group divergence.

Conclusions:

• Globalization has not led to a uniform convergence of nations.
• Internal dynamics within specific country groupings (e.g., trade blocs) are driving convergence and divergence patterns.
• Future research should explore the nuanced effects of regional and systemic factors on global development trajectories.