Testing for convergence: evidence from non-parametric multimodality tests

In this paper, we test the convergence hypothesis in a cross-section of 119 countries by means of bootstrap multimodality tests and nonparametric density estimation techniques. By looking at the density distribution of GDP across countries in 1970, 1980 and 1989, we find low mobility patterns of intra-distribution dynamics and increasing evidence for bimodality. The findings stand in sharp contrast with the convergence prediction.