Regional convergence in Bangladesh using night lights

ABSTRACT

We analyse economic convergence across 64 districts of Bangladesh using newly harmonized satellite night light data over 1992–2018. The growth in night lights – taken as a proxy for regional economic activity – reveals overwhelming evidence of absolute convergence. Regional differences in night light (or income) growth have been shrinking at an annual convergence rate of 4.57%, corresponding to a half-life of 15 years. Net migration plays a relatively prominent role in the regional convergence process.

KEYWORDS:

• Night lights
• convergence
• Bangladesh
• migration

JEL CLASSIFICATION:

• O47
• R11

Acknowldgement

We would like to thank an anonymous reviewer for helpful comments and Syed Rafsan Ali for excellent research assistance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ This section is heavily drawn from Basher, Behtarin, and Rashid (2022).