Middle-Income Traps: A Conceptual and Empirical Survey

Fernando Gabriel Im () and David Rosenblatt
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Fernando Gabriel Im: World Bank, 1818 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA

Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy (JICEP), 2015, vol. 06, issue 03, 1-39

Abstract: The term "middle-income trap" has entered common parlance in the development policy community, despite the lack of a precise definition. This paper discusses in more detail the definitional issues associated with the term. It also provides evidence on whether the growth performance of middle-income countries (MICs) has been different from other income categories, including historical transition phases in the inter-country distribution of income. A transition matrix analysis and an exploration of cross-country growth patterns provide little support for the existence of a middle-income trap.

Keywords: Economic growth; convergence; middle income countries; D30; E00; F02; F60; N10; O11; O40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (35)

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Working Paper: Middle-income traps: a conceptual and empirical survey (2013)
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DOI: 10.1142/S1793993315500131

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