Beta-Convergence of Crop Yield across Countries: A Modern Panel Data Analysis

Abstract

This study examines the state of beta-convergence in three major crop yields l in the world namely rice, wheat and maize in terms of consumption and production for the period 1961 to 2016 using modern panel data approach concerning beta convergence. The study has applied modern panel data analysis including panel unit root tests on demeaned series and staticpanel regression. The conventional sigma convergence indicators namely, standard deviation and coefficient of variation show convergence for wheat for the period of1986 to 2016 showing a downward trend and thus indicating sigma-convergence, But the results of panel unit root and panel regression establish beta convergence for all the crop yield. This result also shows that economies converge to different steady states.