Authors
Year2017 | Volume23 | Issue3 | Pages73-88 |
Abstract
Referring to the diachronic decrease of the overall dispersion of a regional dataset, σ-convergence is a dominant concept in the empirical regional convergence / divergence literature. The paper revisits the σ-convergence concept, expressing the, “classical”, coefficient of variation (CV) and weighted coefficient of variation (wCV) formulas against the backdrop of the median. To this end, the paper specifies and proposes a pair of, “alternative”, formulas for apprehending the σ-convergence concept. Such an endeavor stems from the, purely, statistical rationale that the mean is a central tendency measure highly sensitive to the eventual presence of outliers. The theory-driven propositions of the paper are supported from an illustrative empirical analysis of regional inequalities in France, at the NUTS III spatial level, for the period 2001-2013. The findings of the paper provide valuable insight to both theory and policy-making, indicating that different expressions of the σ-convergence concept may lead to different inferences with respect to regional inequalities.
Reference
Duquenne M.N., Kallioras D., and Vafeiadou S., (2017) 'Σ - convergence revisited', Discussion Paper Series, DPRD - U.Th., 23(3):73-88.