What Drives Uneven Convergence? Evidence From Undernourishment Club Formation in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries

The study aims to examine undernourishment trajectories across 104 low‐ and middle‐income countries from 2001 to 2023 using convergence analysis. The paper has employed various convergence methods, including beta convergence, sigma convergence, kernel density estimation, and the log t ‐test. The findings from the convergence analysis revealed three convergence clubs with distinct levels of undernourishment: Club 1 exhibited the highest level, followed by moderate in Club 2, and lower in Club 3. In the second stage, to estimate the probability of a country belonging to a higher or lower club, the study used an ordered logit model. Considering the UNICEF conceptual framework, the study has considered important explanatory variables, including gross domestic product, food price inflation, human capital, nutrition aid, safe drinking water, and sanitation service, to identify which factors play a crucial role in influencing a country's probability of belonging to different clubs. The results showed that safe drinking water, human capital, and gross domestic product strongly influence a country's likelihood of belonging to the lower undernourishment club. Moreover, nutrition aid increases the probability of membership in higher‐rate convergence clubs.