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on Economic Geography |
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Issue of 2019‒01‒21
seven papers chosen by Andreas Koch Institut für Angewandte Wirtschaftsforschung |
| By: | McCoy, Daire; Lyons, Sean; Morgenroth, Edgar; Palcic, Donal; Allen, Leonie |
| Abstract: | This paper analyses the impact of broadband infrastructure, along with a range of other local charac- teristics such as motorways and other infrastructure, availability of human capital and access to third level educational facilities, on the location of new business establishments. The sample period spans the intro- duction and recent history of broadband in Ireland. The results indicate that the availability of broadband infrastructure is a significant determinant, but its effects may be mediated by the presence of sufficiently high human capital in an area. |
| JEL: | L81 |
| Date: | 2018–01–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:85692&r=all |
| By: | Eder, Christoph (University of Linz); Halla, Martin (University of Linz) |
| Abstract: | The East-West gap in the German population is believed to originate from migrants escaping the socialist regime in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). We use newly collected regional data and the combination of a regression discontinuity design in space with a difference-in-differences approach to document that the largest part of this gap is due to a massive internal migration wave 3 years prior to the establishment of the GDR. The timing and spatial pattern of this migration movement suggest that the dominant motive was escaping physical assault by the Soviet army and not avoiding the socialist regime. The skill composition of these migrants shows a strong positive selection. The gap in population has remained remarkably sharp in space and is growing. |
| Keywords: | institutions, wartime violence against civilians, selective migration, regional migration, World War II, Germany, spatial distribution, regional economic activity |
| JEL: | N44 N94 R23 R11 R12 J61 |
| Date: | 2018–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp12031&r=all |
| By: | Richard Bluhm; Melanie Krause |
| Abstract: | The commonly-used satellite images of nighttime lights fail to capture the true brightness of most cities. We show that night lights are a reliable proxy for economic activity at the city level, provided they are first corrected for top-coding. We present a stylized model of urban luminosity and empirical evidence which both suggest that these ‘top lights’ follow a Pareto distribution. We then propose a simple correction procedure which recovers the full distribution of city lights. Applying this approach to cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, we find that primate cities are outgrowing secondary cities but are changing from within. |
| Keywords: | development, urban growth, night lights, top-coding, inequality |
| JEL: | O10 O18 R11 R12 |
| Date: | 2018 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_7411&r=all |
| By: | Mathieu Steijn; Pierre-Alexandre Balland; Ron Boschma; David Rigby |
| Abstract: | Regional resilience is high on the scientific and policy agenda. An essential feature of resilience is diversifying into new activities. But, little is known about whether major economic crises accelerate or decelerate regional diversification, and whether the impact differs between specialised and diverse regions. This paper offers systematic evidence on the effects of three of the largest crises in U.S. history (the Long Depression 1873-1879, the Great Depression 1929-1934, and the Oil Crisis 1973-1975) on the development of new technological capabilities within U.S. metropolitan areas. We find that crises reduce the pace of diversification in cities and that they narrow the scope of diversification to more closely related activities. We also find that more diverse cities outperform more specialised cities in diversifying during times of crisis but more diverse cities do not have a stronger focus on less related diversification during these unsettled times. |
| Keywords: | Technological diversification, regional resilience, major historical crises, related diversification, U.S. cities, entry of technologies, patents |
| JEL: | R11 D83 O33 |
| Date: | 2019–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:egu:wpaper:1901&r=all |
| By: | Michael Stierle; Ulrike Stierle-von Schütz; Stijn Rocher |
| Abstract: | 10 years on, many countries and regions in the EU still bear the scars of the 2008/2009 financial crisis. Countries and regions have recovered at different rates and undergone different structural changes. While the asymmetric impact of the crisis across regions and sectors has had a short-term impact on concentration and specialisation patterns; long-term forces, such as global economic and supply chain integration, continue to shape the economic landscape of European regions. In our empirical analysis, we describe the development of regional economic structures in terms of sectoral employment and production (gross value added) during the crisis. We focus on the location pattern of sectors (concentration), i.e. in which regions economic activities in a sector tend to be located, and the specialisation of regions, i.e. which sectors are particularly important in a region. Our analysis shows that the impact of the crisis on overall specialisation patterns appears rather limited, although some regions have been more affected than others. In addition, the general trend of sectoral location patterns in the EU becoming more similar over time has continued, albeit at a slower pace since 2009, especially in Central and East European Countries. In terms of sectors, employment and production concentration in the construction and manufacturing sectors, which displayed clustering before the crisis, have been dispersing since 2009. The data also show that regions with large employment losses during the crisis were mainly specialised in agriculture, low-tech manufacturing, construction and less-skilled services such as trade, accommodation/restaurants and transport. This suggests that local economic structures may have played a role in the economic resilience of regions during the crisis. |
| JEL: | F02 F14 F21 L6 O57 P52 C43 F15 N60 R12 |
| Date: | 2018–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:euf:dispap:088&r=all |
| By: | Benjamin Montmartin (SKEMA Business School - SKEMA Business School, OFCE - OFCE - Sciences Po); Ludovic Dibiaggio (SKEMA Business School - SKEMA Business School); Lionel Nesta (GREDEG - Groupe de Recherche en Droit, Economie et Gestion - UNS - Université Nice Sophia Antipolis - UCA - Université Côte d'Azur - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, OFCE - OFCE - Sciences Po) |
| Date: | 2018–12–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-01948337&r=all |
| By: | Bardt, Hubertus; Orth, Anja Katrin |
| Abstract: | Mit dem Verlust von Beschäftigungsmöglichkeiten in wirtschaftlich stagnierenden Regionen verschlechtern sich die Zukunftsaussichten der dort lebenden Bevölkerung. Ein Rückgang der Beschäftigung kann ökonomische Schrumpfungsprozesse verstärken, wenn ein Teil der jüngeren und besser ausgebildeten Bevölkerung in andere prosperierende Regionen abwandert. Umgekehrt gibt es aber auch Regionen, in denen die Bevölkerung - entgegen dem gegenwärtigen Trend in Deutschland - zurückgeht, während die Beschäftigung deutlich ansteigt. Dort ist es für die boomenden Unternehmen schwer, die notwendigen Fachkräfte zu gewinnen, um das Wachstum des Unternehmens zu gewährleisten. Die demografische Entwicklung dieser Regio-nen stellt ein Wachstumshindernis dar. Wenn sich diese Situation weiter verschlechtert, müssen Unternehmen möglicherweise einzelne Funktionen oder das ganze Betriebe an andere inländi-sche oder ausländische Standorte verlagern, die attraktiver für qualifizierte Mitarbeiter sind. Anhand der Entwicklung von Bevölkerung und sozialversicherungspflichtiger Beschäftigung werden die schrumpfenden Boomregionen in Deutschland ermittelt. Die dabei identifizierten Problemregionen weisen deutlich eine überdurchschnittlich ausgeprägte Anspannung am Arbeitsmarkt auf. Darauf aufbauend wird untersucht, in welche Richtung der gesamtdeutsche Zusammenhang zwischen Bevölkerung und Beschäftigung ausgeprägt ist. Es zeigt sich, sich beide Indikatoren gegenseitig positiv beeinflussen. Den drohenden Abwärtstendenzen, die sich trotz positiver wirtschaftlicher Aussichten ergeben können, muss durch Anstrengungen der beteiligten Unternehmen und Kommunen begegnet werden. Gemeinsam müssen sie die Attraktivität der Städte besonders für mobile und gut qualifizierte Bevölkerungsgruppen stärken. |
| Keywords: | regionale Arbeitsmärkte,regionale Entwicklung,Demografie,Unternehmensent-wicklung |
| JEL: | R11 R23 J11 J21 |
| Date: | 2018 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:iwkrep:492018&r=all |