Thursday, October 9, 2014

Global Heterogeneity

A recent background paper for the UN Commission for Development Planning takes up the issue of hetrogenity pointing out that whereas for the group of developing countries heterogeneity has increased global hetrogeneity is decreasing after a rise in the 1980 and 1990s. The working paper provides an alsternative measure (coefficient of variantion op per capita GDP) although for a much shorter period) for the metrics of global fragmentation applied in Chapters 13 and 14 of Earth Economics (C1 to C4 ratio and Herfindahl). The underlying data sources are identical.

Source Alonso, J. A., Cortez, A. L., & Klasen, S. (2014). LDC and other country groupings: How useful are current approaches to classify countries in a more heterogeneous developing world? CDP Background Paper No. 21 /ESA/2014/CDP/21


Exercise: compare world fragmentation 1950-2008 according to figure 13.4 in Earth Economics to the UNCDP findings. What are your observations?