What is the meaning of catch up effect?
Mia Phillips
Updated on February 10, 2026
The catch-up effect is a theory that all economies will eventually converge in terms of per capita income, due to the observation that poorer economies tend to grow more rapidly than wealthier economies. In other words, the poorer economies will literally “catch-up” to the more robust economies.
Why do poor countries grow faster than rich countries?
Developing countries have the potential to grow at a faster rate than developed countries because diminishing returns (in particular, to capital) are not as strong as in capital-rich countries. Furthermore, poorer countries can replicate the production methods, technologies, and institutions of developed countries.
What is meant by the following expressions to catch up with rich countries?
Description: The catch up effect briefly stated implies that the poorer nations grow much faster because of higher possibilities of growth and over time catch up with the richer countries in terms of per capita income such that the divide between the two gets minimized. …
How do diminishing returns explain the theory of convergence?
Diminishing returns implies that low-income economies could converge to the levels achieved by the high-income countries. A second argument is that low-income countries may find it easier to improve their technologies than high-income countries.
Which of the following is an example of physical capital?
Physical capital consists of man-made goods that assist in the production process. Cash, real estate, equipment, and inventory are examples of physical capital.
How do countries become rich?
The primary way that countries have become wealthy is via capitalism. Capitalism works best with stable money and low taxes. Many European countries maintain a high standard of living today, despite rather high taxes.
What do you mean by de development?
Furthermore, it will argue that not only is economic development difficult if not impossible to achieve inside the territory, but may in fact be precluded by “de-development.” De- development is defined as a process which undermines or weakens the ability of an economy to grow and expand by preventing it from accessing …
What is the definition of the catch up effect?
The catch-up effect is a theory that all economies will eventually converge in terms of per capita income, due to the observation that poorer economies tend to grow more rapidly than wealthier economies. In other words, the poorer economies will literally “catch-up” to the more robust economies. The catch-up effect is also referred to as …
How does the catch up effect affect poorer countries?
The catch-up effect (or convergence theory) suggests that poorer countries will experience a higher rate of economic growth and, over time, get closer to the income levels of the developed world. Source: On Globalization and the World Economy in 2010 Cabinet Office, Government of Japan.
How is the catch up effect related to diminishing marginal returns?
The catch-up effect, or theory of convergence, is predicated on a couple of key ideas. One is the law of diminishing marginal returns —the idea that as a country invests and profits, the amount gained from the investment will eventually be worth less than the initial investment itself.
What happens when an exception is not handled by a try / catch block?
If an exception is not handled by try/catch blocks, the exception escalates through the call stack until the exception is caught or an error message is printed by the compiler. A try/catch block also may be nested with one or more try/catch statements.