Clustering and polarization in the distribution of output: A multivariate perspective

Modeling the cross-country distribution of per capita income using mixture analysis provides a natural platform for the detection of clubs of countries. Unfortunately, these mixture methods, when based on a strictly univariate approach are limiting towards one’s ability to learn about the underlying process of the emergence of what constitutes a club. This paper takes a fresh look at the constitution of the emerging clubs in the distribution of cross-country output using bivariate and multivariate mixture analysis. Our results suggest that clubs are also forming in the main Solowian determinants of economic growth.