Agricultural productivity growth in the Euro-Med region: is there evidence of convergence?

Abstract

This paper measures agricultural productivity growth by means of the sequential Malmquist Total Factor Productivity (TFP) index among a set of 32 West European, Central and East European (CEE), and Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries for the period 1961-2002. In a second stage, the authors also investigate whether this measure is converging among these countries by employing cross-sectional tests for absolute and conditional beta-convergence as well as for club convergence. The results suggest that, despite the fact that the CEE and MENA countries have exhibited a high rate of productivity growth since the 1990s, absolute convergence cannot be confirmed. Evidence for conditional convergence is still found and the formation of two separate clubs of countries that converge to different equilibrium points is identified.

Keywords

convergence; productivity growth; agricultural productivity; Mediterranean; Europe

Published in

Outlook On Agriculture
2011, volume: 40, number: 1, pages: 29-37
Publisher: I P PUBLISHING LTD

SLU Authors

• Surry, Yves

  • Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Global goals (SDG)

SDG2 Zero hunger

UKÄ Subject classification

Social Sciences
Agricultural Science
Economics and Business

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5367/oa.2011.0026

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/57532