An evaluation on economic integration in Latin American Countries and the Caribbean Islands

Studies pertaining convergence and its benefits for developing and underdeveloped countries, specifically Latin American countries and the Caribbean Islands are essential because they can create the necessary grounds for further growth and development. The aim of this study is to analyze the economic growth of Latin American countries and the Caribbeans after their beta and sigma convergences during the years 1980-2009. An examination for the beta convergence (sectional model) and the sigma convergence (distributing model) were conducted, and the results were calculated with sectional variance. For the hypothesis, the sigma convergence model studied the convergence of 29 countries in the mentioned regions, whereas the beta convergence model did not study the 29 countries. The results of the sigma convergence model confirmed the results obtained from the sectional model. The 29 countries were divided and identified as two groups with an average per capita income of more than or less than $3000 a year. The two approaches were used to test the convergence hypothesis. Results confirmed the average per capita income of $3000 a year for the first group, but results were not confirmed for the second group.
Classification JEL: F15 ¡ F11 ¡ F13 ¡ F42