--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-30/do-poor-countries-catch-up-to-rich-countries-review-article-on-productivity-convergence-theory-and-evidence-by-edward-wolff/" title: "Do Poor Countries Catch Up to Rich Countries? Review Article on Productivity Convergence: Theory and Evidence by Edward Wolff" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T07:40:52+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T07:40:52+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Spring 2016" ipm_keyword: - "capital formation" - "catch-up" - "education" - "international comparison" - "Maddison" - "productivity convergence" - "review article" - "secular stagnation" - "Wolff" ipm_research_theme: - "Productivity trends and comparisons" ipm_country_focus: - "International" - "OECD" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # Do Poor Countries Catch Up to Rich Countries? Review Article on Productivity Convergence: Theory and Evidence by Edward Wolff Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-30/do-poor-countries-catch-up-to-rich-countries-review-article-on-productivity-convergence-theory-and-evidence-by-edward-wolff/ # Do Poor Countries Catch Up to Rich Countries? Review Article on Productivity Convergence: Theory and Evidence by Edward Wolff [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-30-7-Haskel.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Haskel, Jonathan. 2016. “Do Poor Countries Catch Up to Rich Countries? Review Article on Productivity Convergence: Theory and Evidence by Edward Wolff.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 30 (Spring 2016): 111–117. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-30/do-poor-countries-catch-up-to-rich-countries-review-article-on-productivity-convergence-theory-and-evidence-by-edward-wolff/ ## Author: - Jonathan Haskel Imperial College Business School ## IPM Issue 30 Spring 2016 pp. 111–117 ## Related IPM articles [Is the SNA Still Useful? 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Wolff examines the long run productivity growth and convergence experience of a variety of countries from across the world. Wolff’s main contribution is the definition of two general classes of forces of convergence. He delineates “strong” forces of productivity convergence, such as the catch-up effect, capital formation, and education, from “weak” forces contributing to convergence like international trade, economic geography, and regulation. While some of the individual forces of convergence may switch categories as new research emerges, the categorization remains highly relevant. The focus on convergence suggests that non-frontier countries may not yet be in dire straits as a result of the purported recent productivity slowdown, as productivity growth may well still come from forces of convergence for years to come. THE BOOK Productivity Convergence: Theory Cet article fournit une analyse détaillée de l’ouvrage de Edward Wolff Productivity Convergence: Theory and Evidence. Wolff examine l’expérience à long terme de la croissance de la productivité et de la convergence d’une variété de pays à travers le monde. La principale contribution de Wolff est la définition de deux classes générales de forces de convergence. Il distingue les forces « fortes » de convergence de la productivité, comme l’effet de rattrapage, la formation de capital et l’éducation, des forces « faibles » contribuant à la convergence, comme le commerce international, la géographie économique et la réglementation. La catégorisation reste très pertinente et la focalisation sur la convergence suggère que les pays non à la frontière technologique ne sont peut-être pas encore dans une situation désespérée à la suite du récent ralentissement supposé de la productivité. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-30-7-Haskel.pdf)