La hipótesis de convergencia en México: un enfoque de sigma-convergencia débil

Abstract

The Convergence Hypothesis in Mexico: A Weak Sigma-Convergence Approach 

We analyze the convergence hypothesis in Mexico with the relatively novel test of -weak convergence, proposed by Kong, Phillips and Sul (2019), in the period 1940-2019 and in two sub-periods with the totality of the federal entities and with groups formed from their income levels, in order to determine whether the process of trade liberalization and the entry into force of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) promoted regional convergence. It is found that for both the first period and the whole period there is evidence of weak convergence, on the contrary, evidence of divergence is revealed for the second period. The application of this test to groups formed on the basis of their income levels helps to identify whether some of these groups may be responsible for the lack of convergence of all the states. However, a limitation of this test is that it may not reconcile results obtained for the whole period with those of the sub-periods.