|
on Economic Geography |
|
Issue of 2016‒01‒03
eleven papers chosen by Andreas Koch Institut für Angewandte Wirtschaftsforschung |
| By: | Trippl , Michaela (CIRCLE, Lund University); Grillitsch , Markus (CIRCLE, Lund University); Isaksen , Arne (Department of Working Life and Innovation, University of Agder, Norway); Sinozic , Tanja (Institute for Multi-Level Governance and Development, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria) |
| Abstract: | The past few years have seen an increasing popularity of cluster life cycle approaches. These models, however, suggest a rather deterministic view, are indifferent with respect to context and suffer from biological connotations. This chapter intends to go beyond the cluster life cycle models. We review the literature on industrial districts, innovative milieu and regional innovation systems and investigate how these alternative approaches contribute to the development of a more context-sensitive approach to cluster change. We argue that future research may benefit from developing theoretically relevant categorizations of different cluster types and from carrying out comparative empirical studies. |
| Keywords: | cluster evolution; cluster life cycle; regional industrial change; regional innovation systems |
| JEL: | O10 O30 R10 R50 |
| Date: | 2015–12–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:lucirc:2015_046&r=geo |
| By: | Alberto Díaz Dapena (Universidad de Oviedo); Esteban Fernández Vázquez (Universidad de Oviedo); Rafael Garduño Rivera (Division of Economics, CIDE); Fernando Rubiera Morollón (Universidad de Oviedo) |
| Abstract: | Regional Economics and Economic Growth focus on the question of whether trade leads to a greater concentration of economic activity. Yet little empirical work has assessed the regional convergence impacts of trade. Therefore this paper studies the regional convergence from trade in Mexico after NAFTA. Unlike previous papers, working with municipal-level data allows to observe more clearly the convergence patterns across space and to identify the effect of NAFTA, respectively. Result shows that after NAFTA, convergence in regions near the U.S. border grew faster than those further away. However, there is a significant reduction of the ß coefficient after NAFTA indicating a slowdown in the convergence rate. Additional, we find that those municipalities in the south have not been integrated in the world markets, and have, instead, lagged behind their counterparts after NAFTA. |
| Keywords: | Convergence, clusters, international trade, NAFTA, Mexico |
| JEL: | R11 R15 |
| Date: | 2015–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:emc:wpaper:dte591&r=geo |
| By: | de Vuijst, Elise (Delft University of Technology); van Ham, Maarten (Delft University of Technology); Kleinhans, Reinout (Delft University of Technology) |
| Abstract: | It is well-known that socioeconomic outcomes and (dis)advantage over the life course can be transmitted from parent to child. It is increasingly suggested that these intergenerational effects also have a spatial dimension, although empirical research into this topic remains scarce. Previous research from Sweden and the United States shows that children who grow up in disadvantaged neighbourhoods experience long-term exposure to such neighbourhoods in their adult lives. This study contributes to the literature by examining to what extent educational attainment can break the link between parental neighbourhood disadvantage and the neighbourhood experiences of children as adults up to 12 years after leaving the parental home. We use longitudinal register data from the Netherlands to study a complete cohort of parental home leavers, covering 119,167 individuals who were followed from 1999 to 2012. Using sequence analyses as a visualisation method, and multilevel logit models, we demonstrate that children who lived in deprived neighbourhoods with their parents are more likely to live in similar neighbourhoods later in life than children who grew up in more affluent neighbourhoods. We find that intergenerational neighbourhood patterns of disadvantage can be discontinued when individuals attain higher education over time. Discontinuation is however less prevalent among individuals from ethnic minority groups. |
| Keywords: | intergenerational inequality, neighbourhood effects, deprived neighbourhoods, neighbourhood histories, educational attainment, longitudinal data, sequence analysis, the Netherlands |
| JEL: | I30 J60 P46 R23 |
| Date: | 2015–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp9557&r=geo |
| By: | Timmermans, Bram (Agderforskning); Fitjar, Rune Dahl (UiS) |
| Abstract: | The paper presents the literature on skill relatedness and shows the results of a study on skill relatedness based on labour mobility in Norwegian industry between 2000 and 2011. |
| Keywords: | . |
| JEL: | J62 R10 |
| Date: | 2015–12–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:stavef:2015_020&r=geo |
| By: | Nagayasu, Jun |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes empirically interaction between the inflation rates across regions using consumption data on services and the geographical location of regions in Japan. The service sector has been expanding rapidly in terms of its contribution to the total economic activity in advanced countries, and further demographic changes have accelerated its speed in Japan over recent decades. After providing a theoretical relationship between regional inflation and consumption of non-tradable goods, we find evidence that different consumption patterns of services across regions explain heterogeneity in regional inflation in Japan. |
| Keywords: | Regional inflation; non-tradable goods; services; demographic changes; spatial models |
| JEL: | E3 F3 R1 |
| Date: | 2015–12–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:68566&r=geo |
| By: | Kosfeld, Reinhold (University of Kassel); Dreger, Christian (DIW Berlin) |
| Abstract: | The wage curve introduced by Blanchflower and Oswald (1990, 1994) postulates a negative correlation between wages and unemployment. Empirical results focus on particular theoretical channels establishing the relationship. Panel models mostly draw on unionized bargaining or the efficiency wage hypothesis. Spatial econometric approaches can be rationalized by monopsonistic competition. However, the approaches either ignore the issue of nonstationarity or treat the data as if it were nonspatial. In this paper, we adopt a global cointegration approach recently proposed by Bienstock and Felsenstein (2010) to account for nonstationarity of regional data. By specifying a spatial error correction model (SpECM), equilibrium adjustments are considered in both space and time. Applying the methodology for West German labour markets, we find strong evidence for the existence of a long-run wage curve with spatial effects. |
| Keywords: | wage curve, regional labour markets, spatial panel models, global cointegration analysis |
| JEL: | J30 J60 C33 R15 |
| Date: | 2015–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp9577&r=geo |
| By: | Trippl , Michaela (CIRCLE, Lund University); Grillitsch , Markus (CIRCLE, Lund University); Isaksen , Arne (Department of Working Life and Innovation, University of Agder, Norway) |
| Abstract: | The role of exogenous sources of new path development has been underplayed in the literature on regional industrial change so far. The aim of this paper is to explore in a conceptual way under which conditions and in what ways non-local knowledge can lead to new path development in different regional innovation systems (RIS). We distinguish between organizationally thick and diversified, thick and specialized and thin RIS and argue that these types vary markedly in their needs for exogenous sources as well as in their capacities to attract and absorb knowledge generated elsewhere. Organisationally thick and diversified RIS have a lower need for exogenous sources but they exhibit strong capacities to attract and absorb non-local knowledge. In contrast, organisationally thick and specialised RIS and organisationally thin RIS have a higher need for exogenous sources but show a lower capacity to attract and absorb knowledge from elsewhere. However, a closer look reveals that these RIS types can increase their attractiveness for non-local knowledge and may benefit from its inflow if they strengthen their absorption capacity. We conclude that new regional industrial path development is less endogenous in nature than commonly thought, and that the attraction and absorption of non-local knowledge should be more included in conceptualisations of new path development. |
| Keywords: | new path development; regional industrial change; non-local knowledge; regional innovation systems; degree of organizational thickness; specialization; diversity |
| JEL: | O10 O19 O30 R10 |
| Date: | 2015–12–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:lucirc:2015_047&r=geo |
| By: | Rinaldo Evangelista (University of Camerino); Valentina Meliciani (University of LLUIS Carli); Antonio Vezzani (European Commission – JRC - IPTS) |
| Abstract: | In the context of the Europe 2020 objective of establishing in the EU a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy, European regions have been called to design and implement national and regional 'Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation' (RIS3). The rationale behind the concept of smart specialisation is that, in a context of global competition for talent and resources, most regions can only acquire a real competitive edge by finding niches or by mainstreaming new technologies into traditional industries and exploiting their ‘smart’ regional potential. Although the most promising way for a region to promote its knowledge-based growth is to diversify into technologies, products and services that are closely related to existing dominant technologies and the regional skills base, the European Commission puts special emphasis on a set of technologies labelled as 'Key Enabling Technologies' (KETs). Despite the great emphasis on KETs, there is only very limited evidence on the capability of EU regions to specialise in these fields and there are no studies directly investigating the actual impact of these technologies on regional innovation and economic growth. This report aims at filling these gaps by: i) looking at the relationship between KETs and 'Fast Growing Technologies' (FGTs); ii) providing empirical evidence on the EU regional specialisation in KETs and FGTs; iii) relating technological specialisation to regional innovation and economic growth. In particular, the report aims at answering these questions: 1) Which technologies have emerged as the fastest growing ones in the recent decades? 2) Is there a relationship between fast growing technologies and KETs? 3) Which regions are specialised in FGTs and KETs? 4) Are there convergence and polarization phenomena observable in the evolution of EU regions’ innovative activities in fast growing technologies and KETs? 5) Do EU regions specialized in fastest growing technological fields and key enabling technologies exhibit higher innovation and economic performances? The main results of the report can be summarised as follows. First, only a small share of KETs are also fast growing technologies, although the degree of overlapping between KETs and FGTs varies substantially across different KETs fields. Second, while KETs are concentrated in Central Europe, FGTs prevail in Scandinavian countries and the UK. Third, while there is evidence of some regional convergence in KETs and, to a less extent, in FGTs, spatial correlation increases over time, showing that diffusion often occurs across contiguous regions. Finally, the results of the estimations of the effects of FGTs and KETs on innovation (patents) and economic (GDP per capita) growth show that only specialisation in KETs directly affects economic growth, while specialisation in FGTs has an impact on growth only indirectly, that is through its impact on regions’ innovation performances. Overall, these results confirm the pervasive and enabling role of KETs pointing to the importance for European regions to target these technologies as part of their RIS3 strategies. |
| Keywords: | region, gorwht, innovation |
| Date: | 2015–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc98111&r=geo |
| By: | Greco, Salvatore; Ishizaka, Alessio; Matarazzo, Benedetto; Torrisi, Gianpiero |
| Abstract: | We consider the issue of ranking regions with respect to a range of economic and social variables. Departing from the current practice of aggregating different dimensions via an arithmetic mean, we instead use Stochastic Multiattribute Acceptability Analysis (SMAA). SMAA takes account of the “whole space” of weights for the considered dimensions. Thus, rather than considering an average person giving equal or fixed weights to all dimensions, SMAA explores how potential differences in individual preferences affect the outcome. In this sense, in contrast to the purported objectivity of the many rankings supplied by economic institutions and mass media, this proposal enhances, simplifies and renders transparent the ranking exercise. The methodology is applied to the ranking of Italian regions, unveiling patterns of similarity and dissimilarity even within the same broad regional economy. Many of these findings are neglected within the extant literature addressing the “Mezzogiorno” problem. |
| Keywords: | Stochastic Multiattribute Acceptability Analysis, Regional Development, Multiple Criteria Ranking, Composite index. |
| JEL: | C43 R11 R12 |
| Date: | 2015–12–22 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:68508&r=geo |
| By: | Jaramillo, Daiana; Belmartino, Andrea; Calá, Carla Daniela |
| Abstract: | Hasta el momento, no existen estudios que analicen el patrón de especialización o la diversificación regional utilizando datos actualizados, comprehensivos y comparables para todas las provincias. Este artículo pretende llenar ese vacío, al calcular y describir los patrones de especialización y de diversificación productiva a nivel regional en Argentina a lo largo del período 1996-2008. En particular, se pretende: a) describir la evolución de las medidas de especialización y diversificación regional a lo largo del período estudiado, relacionándolas con las condiciones macroeconómicas imperantes; y b) vincular dichos indicadores con características regionales -tamaño, nivel de desarrollo, ventajas naturales, entre otras-. |
| Keywords: | Especialización de la Producción; Diversificación de la Producción; Análisis Provincial; Argentina; |
| Date: | 2015–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nmp:nuland:2441&r=geo |
| By: | Larrazábal, María Florencia; Gentile, Natacha |
| Abstract: | La Argentina registra en los últimos años, en particular a partir del año 2002, una mejora en los indicadores económicos-sociales asociada al paso de un patrón de crecimiento económico vinculado con la revalorización financiera y la aplicación de políticas neoliberales en los años noventa a otro esquema macroeconómico en la última década orientado a la producción y la inclusión social. En este contexto si bien observamos una mayor inclusión laboral a nivel agregado, también entendemos que al diferenciar a la población en grupos etarios, los resultados alertan que la misma no ha resultado igualmente efectiva. |
| Keywords: | Jóvenes; Adultos; Inserción Laboral; Análisis Comparativo; |
| Date: | 2015–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nmp:nuland:2431&r=geo |