ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses of some empirical evidence on economic growth, especially as it pertains to the convergence question. It explores these facts to theories of economic growth and makes inferences for the role of government policies. A key issue in economic development is whether economies that start out behind tend to grow faster in per capita terms and thereby converge toward those that began ahead. One force that influences convergence is the mobility of labor and persons across economies. The most interesting aspect of theories of economic growth, represented by P. M. Romer and G. M. Grossman and E. Helpman, concerns theories of technological progress in the leading economies. The convergence result is again conditional on aspects of the domestic economy-such as government policies, attitudes about saving, and intrinsic levels of productivity-that affect the returns from technological adaptation. One framework for studying convergence is the growth model developed by R. M.Solow and other economists.
