Provincial Conditional Income Convergence in China, 1953–1997: A Panel Data Approach

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines the tendency towards income convergence among China's main provinces during the two periods: the pre‐reform period 1953–1977 and the reform period 1978–1997 using the framework of the Solow growth model. The panel data method accounts for not only province‐specific initial technology level but also the heterogeneity of the technological progress rate between the fast‐growing coastal and interior provinces. Estimation problems of weak instruments and endogeneity are addressed by the use of a system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator. The main empirical finding is that there is a system‐wide income divergence during the reform period because the coastal provinces do not share a common technology progress rate with the interior provinces.