Why poor countries stopped catching up - By David Oks
Fri Feb 06 2026
In this essay, David Oks examines a startling reversal in global economic development. For nearly two decades, poor countries appeared to finally be catching up to rich ones, validating a long-standing prediction of economic theory and offering genuine hope for global convergence. Then, suddenly and dramatically, this progress ground to a halt. Through an analysis of recent research and economic data, Oks explores what drove this brief period of catch-up growth and why it ended so abruptly, ultimately challenging optimistic narratives about globalization and development.
* 00:00 - Introduction
* 03:49 - A short history of (non)convergence
* 11:40 - Convergence comes alive?
* 17:37 - What if it was just China?
https://open.substack.com/pub/davidoks/p/why-poor-countries-stopped-catching-690?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askwhocastsai.substack.com/subscribe
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In this essay, David Oks examines a startling reversal in global economic development. For nearly two decades, poor countries appeared to finally be catching up to rich ones, validating a long-standing prediction of economic theory and offering genuine hope for global convergence. Then, suddenly and dramatically, this progress ground to a halt. Through an analysis of recent research and economic data, Oks explores what drove this brief period of catch-up growth and why it ended so abruptly, ultimately challenging optimistic narratives about globalization and development. * 00:00 - Introduction * 03:49 - A short history of (non)convergence * 11:40 - Convergence comes alive? * 17:37 - What if it was just China? https://open.substack.com/pub/davidoks/p/why-poor-countries-stopped-catching-690?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askwhocastsai.substack.com/subscribe