Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine theoretically and empirically the impact of improvement in the capa- bility to access innovation and knowledge on economic growth and convergence among countries. Our results, obtained using an augmented Solow-Swan growth model and panel data methodology with a sample of 138 countries for the period 1990–2014, show not only that improvement in the capability to access innovation and knowledge (proxied by percentage of internet users) has a positive impact on said economic growth, fostering the technological catch-up process for developing countries and accel- erating the pattern of economic convergence, but also that this improvement has an even greater effect on developing countries when democracy is well developed, accelerating the pattern of economic conver- gence even further.