Fitting Regional Income Distributions in the European Union*
分析1977-1996年欧盟区域人均GDP的分布，发现1970-80年代初呈多峰分布，1980年代中期后趋于单峰，并用正态混合模型揭示了两类区域的收敛趋势。
Abstract Cross‐sectional distribution of per capita (log) GDP across the European Union regions from 1977 to 1996 is analysed. Kernel density estimates reveal a multimodal structure of the distribution during the 1970s and early 1980s, and a tendency towards unimodality since the mid‐1980s. The distribution is further analysed by a mixture of normal densities. A two well‐separated component mixture fits the distributions in the 1970s and early 1980s. These two clusters tend to converge, supporting the idea of a process of catching up. In the mid‐1990s, a small group of very rich regions is generated by a separated component.