Are Poor Nations Closing the Gap in Living Standards?: Perspectives on a Global Economy

Despite widespread (but not universal) improvements in living standards over the past quarter century, the dollar gap between gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the richest versus the poorest economies grew between 1973 and 1977. This report addresses GDP growth as well as alternative measures of living standards in order to take up the question of whether globalization's benefits have spread worldwide.

Topics covered:

• the past 25 years
• growth patterns drive diversity
• new GDP and population data
• Korea's multiple factors
• alternative indicators of living standards
• consumption data
• living standards and food share
• life expectancy in transition cultures