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on Economic Geography |
| By: | Frédéric GASCHET (IERSO, IFReDE-GRES); Julie LE GALLO (IERSO, IFReDE-GRES) |
| Abstract: | The aim of this paper is to analyze the intra-urban spatial segregation in terms of socio-professional categories in four French urban areas: Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux and Dijon. Two questions are investigated. First, how does spatial segregation vary across the four urban poles? Second, what are the spatial patterns of segregation within each urban pole? In order to answer these questions, we compute spatial global segregation indices for socio-professional categories in each urban area, together with entropy indices, which are local segregation indices that reflect the diversity within each unit and that can be mapped to show the spatial variations of segregation among the units of the four urban poles. The results highlight the self-segregation of the managers, the specific features of Paris and the complex spatial distribution of segregation. |
| Keywords: | segregation, French urban areas, entropy index |
| JEL: | J15 J41 R14 |
| Date: | 2005 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:grs:wpegrs:2005-12&r=geo |
| By: | Jaime Bonet |
| Abstract: | No previous work has focused on the analysis of the regional and interregional structure and structural changes in Colombia. An initial exploration using a parsimonious approach to the measurement of interregional interaction suggested a country with limited spatial interdependency. These findings were evaluated by taking advantage of a newly constructed interregional input-output model to measure the interactions within and between the Colombian regions. The direct and indirect production linkages effects are captured through the evaluation of the Leontief inverse matrices. The results suggest that key sectors have moved from primary and secondary sectors to tertiary sectors, which is a movement observed in the economic development process. However, it can be argued that the regional economies do not have exactly the same linkage structures. These differences are the result of discrepancies in the dominant sectors in each economy. The interregional linkages reveal a country with self-sufficient sectors in most of the regions, which supports the idea of a country with relatively poor interregional dependences, results that were also found in previous studies. The fact that the powerful backward and forward linkages are identified in the most prosperous regions instead of the lagged ones implies that the regional inequalities are likely to be sustained. |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdr:borrec:341&r=geo |
| By: | Florax, Raymond J.G.M. (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Faculteit der Economische Wetenschappen en Econometrie (Free University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics Sciences, Business Administration and Economitrics); Graaff, Thomas de; Waldorf, Brigitte S. |
| Abstract: | Immigration and multiculturalism are at the heart of modern western societies. The issue of language acquisition of immigrants is intrinsically linked to immigration. We formally link language acquisition of immigrants to the relative size of the immigrant stock, employing a microeconomic trading framework. Our model allows for spatial interaction going beyond the immigrant's area of residence, and explicitly incorporates spatial segregation. In addition, behavioral differences of immigrants with respect to their level of assimilation into the host country as well as differences in networking within their own ethnic community are accounted for. We test our model for four non-western immigrant groups in the Netherlands using two different spatial scale levels. The empirical results reveal that there is only ambiguous support for the inverse relationship between size of the immigrant community and language acquisition or language proficiency in The Netherlands. We find instead, that there is strong support for language acquisition and understanding being positively influenced by assimilation to the host country's culture. |
| Keywords: | Immigration; segregation; networks; assimilation, language |
| JEL: | J15 J61 R12 R23 |
| Date: | 2004 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:vuarem:2004-6&r=geo |
| By: | Petri Böckerman (Labour Institute for Economic Research); Edvard Johansson (The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy); Ritva Prättälä (National Public Health Institute); Antti Uutela (National Public Health Institute) |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the connection between alcohol mortality, drinking behaviour and macroeconomic fluctuations in Finland by using both aggregate and micro-level data during the past few decades. The results from the aggregate data reveal that an improvement in regional economic conditions measured by the employment-to-population rate produces a decrease in alcohol mortality. However, the great slump of the early 1990s is an exception to this pattern. During that particular episode, alcohol mortality did indeed decline, as there was an unprecedented collapse in economic activity. The results from the micro-data show that an increase in the employment-to-population rate and expansion in regional GDP produces an increase in alcohol consumption while having no effect on the probability of being a drinker. All in all, the Finnish evidence presented does not overwhelmingly support the conclusions reported for the USA, according to which temporary economic slowdowns are good for health. In contrast, at least alcohol mortality seems to increase in those bad times that are not exceptional economic crises like the one experienced in the early 1990s. However, there is evidence that alcohol consumption is strongly procyclical by its nature. This suggests that alcohol consumption and mortality may be delinked in the short-run business cycle context. |
| Keywords: | alcohol mortality, drinking, business cycles |
| JEL: | E32 I12 R11 |
| Date: | 2005–06–17 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wpa:wuwphe:0506002&r=geo |
| By: | Sanjoy Bhattacharjee (Washington State University); David Holland (Washington State University) |
| Abstract: | The Columbia Basin Project (CBP) was one of the single largest projects undertaken by the Bureau of Reclamation. The venture, which started in the 1930s in Central Washington, did not entirely turn out as expected. In fact, almost half of the proposed irrigable area, located mainly in the northeastern portion of the original plan, doesn’t have any water supply from the project for irrigation purposes. The Odessa Sub-area is one of those areas. The land in this area is fertile and produces very high quality potatoes. Over the last couple of decades, potato production in this Odessa sub-region has been possible primarily because of irrigation based on deep wells. However, the underground water is drawing down and potato production may shut down as a result. Therefore, an economic threat on the economy of the Columbia Basin is in the offing, unless alternative water sources are negotiated. In this paper, we will mainly explore the regional economic impacts of the possible losses of potato production and its associated processing in the Odessa Sub-area. In section A, we briefly discuss the current status of the Columbia Basin Project. In section B, we discuss ground water level decline issues. In section C, we enumerate the economic impacts of the possible losses in potato production in the Odessa Sub-area and associated loss of potato processing. Summary and conclusions are in the final section. |
| Keywords: | potato production, potato processing, regional economic impact, input-output models |
| JEL: | R1 |
| Date: | 2005–06–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wpa:wuwpur:0506011&r=geo |
| By: | Massimiliano Mazzanti (University of Ferrara); Giulio Cainelli (University of Bari and CERIS-CNR); Susanna Mancinelli (University of Ferrara) |
| Abstract: | The main idea behind this paper is that social capital is not, as generally suggested by the socio-economic literature, an individual attitude towards something which does not imply privately appropriable economic benefits. Actually, SC might and should be interpreted as a public component of an investment which implies private and public benefits entangled with each other. In order to put forward this idea, a dynamic theoretical model that assumes social capital as the public component of the impure public good R&D is developed. It shows that the ‘civic culture’ of the district area in which the firm works is not sufficient as an incentive to increase its investment in social capital, because this investment strictly depends on the economic convenience of investing in the impure public good. Social capital /networking dynamics might positively and complementarily evolve only if the opportunity cost of investing in innovation is sufficiently low. We consequently focus our attention on a specialized industrial district located in the Emilia Romagna region – the biomedical district of Mirandola (Modena) – characterised by a strong pattern of innovative activity. Using a proxy for innovative activity as dependant variable, we observe that R&D and networking/social capital arise as complementary driving forces for innovation outputs. When empirical evidence confirms that this complementarity plays a key role, and consequently strong links exist between market and non-market dynamics relating to firms, the role for policy actions targeted to social capital is larger. The policy effort should be targeted toward both market and non-market characteristics taken together, rather than solely to the production of (local) public goods (social capital) or innovation inputs as independent elements of firm processes. The input of SC alone is not sufficient to ensure innovation and growth: economic incentives matter. On the other hand, whenever SC dynamics are crucial for R&D private investments, the effect of economic incentives depends on the presence and degree of their complementarity. |
| Keywords: | Social capital, R&D, Technological innovation, Industrial districts |
| JEL: | O32 D92 H49 |
| Date: | 2005–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2005.84&r=geo |
| By: | Julia Darby; V. Anton Muscatelli; Graeme Roy |
| Abstract: | This paper contributes to the established literature on fiscal consolidations (e.g. Alesina and Perotti, 1995, 1997, Alesina et al, 1998) by investigating the distinct behaviour of central and sub-central tiers of government during general government consolidation attempts. In the light of different degrees of decentralisation across OECD countries, and the different responsibilities devolved to sub-central tiers, we believe that this approach offers an illuminating insight into the analysis of fiscal consolidations and their success. We show that the involvement of the sub-central tiers of government is crucial to achieving cuts in expenditure, particularly in relation to the overall size of the government wage bill. In addition, central governments appear to exert a strong influence on the expenditure of subcentral tiers through their grant allocations, and control of these allocations appears to have a considerable impact upon the overall success of consolidation attempts. Finally we demonstrate that there is a skewness in cuts towards sub-central capital expenditure both when central governments cut grant allocations and when sub-central governments engage in lone consolidation attempts. |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gla:glaewp:2004_2&r=geo |
| By: | Nathalie GAUSSIER (IERSO, IFReDE-GRES); Philippe LAROQUE ETIS neurocybernetics team (UMR CNRS 8051); Nicolas CUPERLIER ETIS neurocybernetics team (UMR CNRS 8051); Mathias QUOY ETIS neurocybernetics team (UMR CNRS 8051); Sorin MOGA ENST Brest; Philippe GAUSSIER ETIS neurocybernetics team (UMR CNRS 8051) |
| Abstract: | If mental maps are a well-known subject in spatial analysis, they suffer from the difficulties to make them an operational concept. Nowadays, the development of cognitive science opens up new perspectives. Thanks to an association of spatial economists, roboticists and computer scientists in the context of a CNRS project “Geomatics, Space, Territories and Mobilities”, we show that it is possible to simulate cognitive maps that fit both with non-metric and situated properties. The paper works on a common assumption that space is central to understand individual strategies. It puts forward the idea that spatial visual information is central to spatial situated action. As a consequence, cognitive maps are built with endogenous preferences and exhibit interesting characteristics to better comprehend situated rationality. As an example, we show that a cognitive agent that means agent with a cognitive map, is able to solve spatial compromise without optimising any a priori known resources on a geographic map. |
| Keywords: | Cognitive maps; neural networks; learning; economics issues; multidisciplinary system |
| JEL: | D00 R10 |
| Date: | 2005 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:grs:wpegrs:na2005-14&r=geo |
| By: | Gregorio Núñez (Department of Economic Theory and Economic History (University of Granada) and “Grupo de Estudios Históricos sobre la Empresa”) |
| Abstract: | The interpretation that still prevails of the political and economic history of Spain at the beginning of the century, emphasizes the basically rural and backward character of a society that grew and was modernized very slowly. Even as late as 1932-1936, during the Second Republic in Spain, political backwardness, industrial underdevelopment and engrained agrarian conflict are common factors stressed by many authors and, in contrast, there was a lack of a solid alternative politically and economically rooted in their as yet minority urban middle classes.3 And «perhaps the sole outstanding fact in 1898 was the extent and unanimity of the malaise in the middle class» [PAN-MONTOJO, 1998, p.262]. Recently these ideas are being revised in search of «more subtle interpretations of the political reality which is more prosaic, but not for that reason less complex». Political historians such as Forner and García argued that political fraud, corruption and backwardness cannot explain completely and convincingly early 20 th century Spain. On the contrary, they suggest that the implicit critical factor in the so-called «vieja política» (old politics) was a more general lack of civic maturity, that might have filled the established rules of the political game with democratic content [FORNER & GARCÍA, 1992, pp. 41 y ss.]; but in fact Spanish society only gradually began to fill this gap. They also add that, in such a process of growing maturity, cities played, as should be expected, a fundamental role. |
| Keywords: | City and Town Life - Spain - History, Cities and Towns - Economic History – Spain – 1878-1944, Urban Life – Spain – 1878-1944, Urban policy, Urbanization - Spain. |
| Date: | 2005–06–16 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:gra:wpaper:05/15&r=geo |
| By: | Joseph P. Ferrie; Werner Troesken |
| Abstract: | Between 1850 and 1925, the crude death rate in Chicago fell by 60 percent, driven by reductions in infectious disease rates and infant and child mortality. What lessons might be drawn from the mortality transition in Chicago, and American cities more generally? What were the policies that had the greatest effect on infectious diseases and childhood mortality? Were there local policies that slowed the mortality transition? If the transition to low mortality in American cities was driven by forces largely outside the control of local governments (higher per capita incomes or increases in the amount and quality of calories available to urban dwellers from rising agricultural productivity), then expensive public health projects, such as the construction of public water and sewer systems, probably should have taken a back seat to broader national policies to promote overall economic growth. The introduction of pure water explains between 30 and 50 percent of Chicago%u2019s mortality decline, and that other interventions, such as the introduction of the diphtheria antitoxin and milk inspection had much smaller effects. These findings have important implications for current policy debates and economic development strategies. |
| JEL: | N0 N9 |
| Date: | 2005–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:11427&r=geo |