Abstract Previous studies on regional convergence in the US have employed varied methodologies and yielded different conclusions. Some authors report evidence that convergence has grown stronger in recent decades, while others find recent years have seen an end to convergence. We test for convergence with a method that allows for structural change. We find, first, that there is little overall evidence for convergence within the US. Results also indicate a series of positive breaks in the 1980s, indicating movement away from convergence was pronounced during this decade. Diverging housing costs may have played a role in limiting convergence.

中文翻译：

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美国的区域趋同与发散

摘要 以往对美国区域趋同的研究采用了不同的方法论，得出了不同的结论。一些作者报告的证据表明，近几十年来趋同变得更加强大，而其他人则发现最近几年趋同已经结束。我们使用允许结构变化的方法测试收敛性。我们发现，首先，美国国内几乎没有整体证据表明趋同。结果还表明，在 1980 年代出现了一系列积极的突破，表明在这十年中明显出现了远离收敛的趋势。不同的住房成本可能在限制趋同方面发挥了作用。