The so-called great divergence in the income per capita is described in the Unified Growth Theory as one of the mind-boggling and unresolved mysteries about the growth process. This mystery has now been solved: the great divergence never happened. It was created by the manipulation of data. Economic growth in various regions is at different levels of development but it follows similar, non-divergent trajectories. Unified Growth Theory is not only scientifically unacceptable but also potentially dangerous because by promoting erroneous concepts it diverts attention from the urgent need to control the fast-increasing growth of income per capita. The distorted presentation of data supporting the concept of the great divergence shows that most regions follow the gently-increasing trajectories describing the growth of income per capita but mathematical analysis of data and even their undistorted presentations show that these trajectories are now increasing approximately vertically with time. So, while the distorted presentation of data used in the Unified Growth Theory suggests sustainable and secure economic growth, the undistorted presentation of data demonstrates that the growth is unsustainable and insecure. The concept of takeoffs from stagnation to the sustained-growth regime promoted in the Unified Growth Theory is also dangerously misleading because it suggests a sustainable and prosperous future while the mathematical analysis of data shows that the current economic growth is dangerously insecure and unsustainable.
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