Recent attempts to discriminate between alternative models of economic
growth have lcd to a full circle of results by focussing on cross-sec
tion data. In this paper, the author shows that the time series eviden
ce is inconclusive as well, depending on the specification of the test
equation with respect to its functional form and its dynamic modellin
g, and on the estimation technique used. Hence, given the data at hand
, attempts to devise explicit tests of alternative growth models seem
to lead to dead ends.