国际货币基金组织：自上而下的趋同：当全球追赶反映的是落后（英文版）

Convergence is usually interpreted as evidence of catch-up: poorer economies grow faster because they are moving toward richer ones. This paper argues that the same empirical pattern can arise from a different source. If country-specific long-run trajectories shift over time, narrowing income gaps may reflect not only upward movement from below, but also adjustment from above. We develop a framework in which economies converge toward evolving rather than fixed steady-state paths, and construc