Graduation Year
2018
Date of Submission
12-2017
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Economics
Reader 1
Cameron Shelton
Reader 2
Peter Uvin
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2017 Yiliu Song
Abstract
In the early literature, the empirical evidence showed that the rate of economic convergence is close to 2%. This paper reexamined the convergence pattern of U.S. counties from 1959-2015 and explored the potential impact of the net migration rate and population density on the rate of convergence. By investigating both the ordinary least square and quantile regression estimates, this paper found out the convergence pattern for the latter economic development period differed from that in the early period. This change is mainly featured by a close to zero convergence rate after 1979. Furthermore, for counties starting off at a relatively low GDP per capita level, no significant economic convergence was observed during the period 1979-2005. Net migration rate didn’t show to have a significant impact on the rate of convergence. Population density has a double effect on the economic growth and can partly account for the change in the rate of convergence in the latter economic development period.
Recommended Citation
Song, Yiliu, "The Convergence Pattern in the Latter Economic Development: Evidence from 1959-2016 U.S. Counties" (2018). CMC Senior Theses. 1781.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1781
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
