CONVERGENCE ANALYSIS OF FINE PARTICULATE (PM2.5) CONCENTRATIONS FOR 212 TO 108 COUNTRIESYU SANG CHANG, DOHYUN PAK AND HYEONGSOP SHIMAbstract Two measures of fine particulate matter, PM2.5 exposure and exceedance are used to analyze convergence patterns of 212 and 108 countries during the period of 2000 to 2014. For exposure, sigma index diverges at the annual rate of +1.07%, while gamma index converges at -0.5% rate. For exceedance, sigma index also diverges at +1.24%, while gamma index converges at -1.22%. The results from income and regional subgroups also indicate that lagging countries are catching-up to leading countries throughout the period in each subgroup. Policy implications from these finding will be discussed. |