This paper suggests a reinterpretation of global growth — encompassing notions of unconditional convergence and the middle income trap — in the past 50 years through the lens of growth theory. We innovate by studying two modes of convergence: a classic “Solow” model where poorer...

A country's rise to economic dominance tends to be accompanied by its currency becoming a reference point, with other currencies tracking it implicitly or explicitly. For a sample comprising emerging-market economies, we show that in the last three years, the renminbi (RMB) has increasingly...

This paper analyzes the achievements of the Uruguay Round, and issues with the post-Uruguay Round agenda. The paper highlights that the conclusion of the Uruguay Round is a major achievement in international trade relations and a crucial element in promoting world trade and growth in the medium...

We estimate the respective contributions of institutions, geography, and trade in determining cross-country income levels using recently developed instruments for institutions and trade. Our results indicate that the quality of institutions ""trumps"" everything else. Controlling for...