Exploring Income Convergence for Central and South Asia

Income convergence refers to the idea that poor countries grow more quickly than rich ones and catch up in terms of per capita income; as a result, the per capita income of integrated nations eventually converges. Beta convergence suggests that less developed nations grow more quickly than more deve...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hameed Gul, Ihtisham ul Haq, Dilawar Khan, Piratdin Allayarov, Khurram Abbas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Lodz University Press 2024-12-01
Series:Comparative Economic Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/CER/article/view/24387
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841525697236959232
author Hameed Gul
Ihtisham ul Haq
Dilawar Khan
Piratdin Allayarov
Khurram Abbas
author_facet Hameed Gul
Ihtisham ul Haq
Dilawar Khan
Piratdin Allayarov
Khurram Abbas
author_sort Hameed Gul
collection DOAJ
description Income convergence refers to the idea that poor countries grow more quickly than rich ones and catch up in terms of per capita income; as a result, the per capita income of integrated nations eventually converges. Beta convergence suggests that less developed nations grow more quickly than more developed ones and reach their average per capita income level by growing more quickly. Meanwhile, sigma convergence suggests that the per capita income disparity among the countries in a regional block narrows over time. The objective of this study is to test income convergence through beta and sigma convergence for Central and South Asia integration using data from 1990 to 2022. Sigma convergence is tested through the standard deviation and coefficient of variation of average per capita income, while beta convergence is tested using panel unit root tests. The results of the study confirm the beta convergence and sigma convergence, which implies income convergence for the integration of Central and South Asia. The implications of this study are manifold. It recommends that Central and South Asian countries ensure economic, political and social cooperation with one another. This is possible by eliminating trade restrictions and decreasing import taxes to increase free trade. Additionally, ensuring free labor, capital, and technology movement between Central and South Asia will be beneficial for ensuring economic integration, facilitating income convergence, and reducing income inequality between these regions. This study contributes to the income convergence literature by focusing on integration between Central Asia and South Asia.
format Article
id doaj-art-4b9905bfb5b846c49a82c43f629266ac
institution Kabale University
issn 1508-2008
2082-6737
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Lodz University Press
record_format Article
series Comparative Economic Research
spelling doaj-art-4b9905bfb5b846c49a82c43f629266ac2025-01-17T07:26:56ZengLodz University PressComparative Economic Research1508-20082082-67372024-12-012748910810.18778/1508-2008.27.3224875Exploring Income Convergence for Central and South AsiaHameed Gul0https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5220-1820Ihtisham ul Haq1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1961-6000Dilawar Khanhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5872-267XPiratdin Allayarov2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0000-0903Khurram Abbas3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0464-524XKohat University of Science and Technology, Department of EconomicsKohat University of Science and Technology, Department of EconomicsTashkent State University of Economics, Department of EconometricsCOMSATS University Islamabad, Sahiwal Campus, Department of Management Sciences, SahiwalIncome convergence refers to the idea that poor countries grow more quickly than rich ones and catch up in terms of per capita income; as a result, the per capita income of integrated nations eventually converges. Beta convergence suggests that less developed nations grow more quickly than more developed ones and reach their average per capita income level by growing more quickly. Meanwhile, sigma convergence suggests that the per capita income disparity among the countries in a regional block narrows over time. The objective of this study is to test income convergence through beta and sigma convergence for Central and South Asia integration using data from 1990 to 2022. Sigma convergence is tested through the standard deviation and coefficient of variation of average per capita income, while beta convergence is tested using panel unit root tests. The results of the study confirm the beta convergence and sigma convergence, which implies income convergence for the integration of Central and South Asia. The implications of this study are manifold. It recommends that Central and South Asian countries ensure economic, political and social cooperation with one another. This is possible by eliminating trade restrictions and decreasing import taxes to increase free trade. Additionally, ensuring free labor, capital, and technology movement between Central and South Asia will be beneficial for ensuring economic integration, facilitating income convergence, and reducing income inequality between these regions. This study contributes to the income convergence literature by focusing on integration between Central Asia and South Asia.https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/CER/article/view/24387income convergenceeconomic integrationcentral asiasouth asia
spellingShingle Hameed Gul
Ihtisham ul Haq
Dilawar Khan
Piratdin Allayarov
Khurram Abbas
Exploring Income Convergence for Central and South Asia
Comparative Economic Research
income convergence
economic integration
central asia
south asia
title Exploring Income Convergence for Central and South Asia
title_full Exploring Income Convergence for Central and South Asia
title_fullStr Exploring Income Convergence for Central and South Asia
title_full_unstemmed Exploring Income Convergence for Central and South Asia
title_short Exploring Income Convergence for Central and South Asia
title_sort exploring income convergence for central and south asia
topic income convergence
economic integration
central asia
south asia
url https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/CER/article/view/24387
work_keys_str_mv AT hameedgul exploringincomeconvergenceforcentralandsouthasia
AT ihtishamulhaq exploringincomeconvergenceforcentralandsouthasia
AT dilawarkhan exploringincomeconvergenceforcentralandsouthasia
AT piratdinallayarov exploringincomeconvergenceforcentralandsouthasia
AT khurramabbas exploringincomeconvergenceforcentralandsouthasia