Öz
The problem of development between countries is a subject that has been researched for a long time. This problem, which should be handled globally, raises questions about whether the inequality between countries will decrease in the near future and in the future. Income disparities are an important problem in the economic development process. It also seeks to answer the question of whether there is a convergence in GDP per capita between countries in comparisons of GDP per capita. Economic convergence expresses the hypothesis that per capita incomes of poor economies will tend to grow faster than rich economies, and that all economies will converge to each other in terms of per capita output over time. Three different hypotheses are put forward in the concept of convergence. The absolute convergence hypothesis proposes that GDP per capita converges to a common steady-state equilibrium in the long run, regardless of its initial structural characteristics or per capita GDP levels. The conditional convergence hypothesis also assumes that convergence to a common steady state occurs only between countries that share common structural features (demography, politics, geography, etc.), regardless of their initial level. Finally, the club convergence hypothesis describes a situation where groups of countries with similar initial conditions and structurally identical converge to a common steady-state equilibrium. In club convergence, there are multiple equilibria and countries can reach one of these equilibria if their starting levels are at the same steady-state.
In the study, convergence analysis was carried out for 92 middle-income countries using annual per capita income data covering the period 1990-2020. As a result of the analysis made with the Phillips Sul method, no convergence was detected between all 92 countries, and it was determined that 92 countries formed a total of 2 sub-clubs with the club logic.