Convergence across Subnational Regions of Bangladesh – What the Night Lights Data Say?

We examine economic convergence among subnational regions of Bangladesh over the period 1992-2013. Absent traditional gross domestic product (GDP) for areas and building on recent findings luminosity literature, we use night lights intensity as a proxy local activity to test hypothesis. Our results show existence both absolute conditional in intensity, but with very long half-lives convergence. Moreover, also indicate sigma divergence. Together, these finding suggests that regional disparity is persistent wide across 544 upazilas (subdistricts) Bangladesh. There evidence lagging are catching up better off ones, many converging their neighbors or peers (a phenomenon known “club convergence”). Overall, consistent from studies inequality Bangladesh, our there an “east-west” divide units