An Econometric Model of International Long-Run Growth Dynamics

50 Pages Posted: 31 Dec 2019 Last revised: 1 Mar 2023

See all articles by Ulrich Müller

Ulrich Müller

Princeton University

James H. Stock

Harvard University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)

Mark W. Watson

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: December 2019

Abstract

We develop a Bayesian latent factor model of the joint evolution of GDP per capita for 113 countries over the 118 years from 1900 to 2017. We find considerable heterogeneity in rates of convergence, including rates for some countries that are so slow that they might not converge (or diverge) in century-long samples, and evidence of “convergence clubs” of countries. The joint Bayesian structure allows us to compute a joint predictive distribution for the output paths of these countries over the next 100 years. This predictive distribution can be used for simulations requiring projections into the deep future, such as estimating the costs of climate change. The model’s pooling of information across countries results in tighter prediction intervals than are achieved using univariate information sets. Still, even using more than a century of data on many countries, the 100-year growth paths exhibit very wide uncertainty.

Suggested Citation

Müller, Ulrich and Stock, James H. and Watson, Mark W., An Econometric Model of International Long-Run Growth Dynamics (December 2019). NBER Working Paper No. w26593, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3511303

Ulrich Müller (Contact Author)

Princeton University ( email )

James H. Stock

Harvard University - Department of Economics ( email )

Littauer Center
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
617-496-0502 (Phone)
617-496-5960 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Mark W. Watson

Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs ( email )

Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544-1021
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
14
Abstract Views
360
PlumX Metrics