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on Economic Geography |
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Issue of 2026–06–29
nine papers chosen by Andreas Koch, Institut für Angewandte Wirtschaftsforschung |
| By: | Krieger, Bastian; Kroll, Henning; Schubert, Torben; Strecke, Linus; Garcia Chavez, Cecilia |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates whether the local economic effects of niche university actors depend on regional context. Focusing on private university campuses in Germany, it exploits their staggered foundation between 1990 and 2020 and estimates their effects using a conditional staggered difference-in-differences design at the postal code level. Campus foundations raise local economic activity, but only gradually, with effects becoming statistically significant after about ten years. The effects are strongest in rural and intermediate regions, while urban regions show no significant effects. This pattern supports the argument that niche universities have greater potential to become significant actors in institutionally thinner rural regions. |
| Keywords: | Regional Growth, Private Universities, Place-Based Leadership, Urban-Rural |
| JEL: | O12 O18 O38 O47 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:341410 |
| By: | Kiyohiro Ikeda; Yosuke Kogure; Hiroki Aizawa; Yuki Takayama |
| Abstract: | This paper presents a systematic framework for analyzing the economic parameter sensitivity of a hierarchical spatial economy within economic geography models. Through the hierarchical reduction approach proposed in this study, the original region-level governing equation is condensed into country-level and alliance-level equations. Based on the reduced governing equation, we formulate the sensitivity of economic variables on each country's population. This approach is applied to the analysis of international trade competition -- covering both trade liberalization and protectionism around Brexit -- among the UK, France, and Germany. We find that both the UK and the EU should focus on reducing domestic transportation costs, whereas tariffs and retaliatory tariffs act as a double-edged sword that can either strengthen or weaken their trade positions. |
| Date: | 2026–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2606.09472 |
| By: | Luiz de Mello; Inés Dezcallar; Sean Dougherty |
| Abstract: | As countries around the world raise defence spending, understanding the implications of a defence production footprint for local economies is becoming increasingly important for policy. Yet comparable evidence remains limited, partly because defence procurement data are rarely available at the local level. This paper studies the economic footprint of defence production using a new measure of defence-industrial presence across TL3-level localities in 15 European countries. Rather than estimating local fiscal multipliers, the paper identifies localities that host defence production establishments and their supply chain and assesses whether those localities display systematically different economic outcomes. The empirical strategy estimates the long-run conditional association between a defence industrial presence and output using panel Dynamic OLS. The paper also examines whether the association is stronger in more innovative places and computes impulse response functions based on local projections to assess whether localities hosting defence-related production have experienced different output trajectories after the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014. Results show defence industrial presence is positively and significantly associated with higher regional income levels. The findings provide insights to inform debates on defence spending, industrial capacity and local economic development. |
| Keywords: | defence industrial base, DOLS, impulse responses, innovation, local economies |
| JEL: | H56 H77 R11 |
| Date: | 2026–06–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:ctpaab:54-en |
| By: | Kochems, Johannes; Schmidhäuser, Jakob |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the local economic impacts of troop deployments. We exploit variation from the historic large-scale US troop withdrawal from Germany triggered by the end of the Cold War, to estimate the effect on local labor markets and public finances. We use administrative data provided by the US Department of Defense to quantify the size of the troop withdrawal at the municipal level. Using a synthetic difference-in-differences estimator, we find negative effects on local labor markets: for each withdrawn US soldier, the number of local jobs decreases by 0.53. The decrease in economic activity results in a reduction of revenues which municipalities balance by lowering their expenditures, while increasing business and property tax multipliers. In individual-level analyses, we document that workers displaced by the closure of a US military base have persistently lower employment rates. Moreover, their daily wages remain around 9.2 percent lower fifteen years after the layoff. The negative impact on labor outcomes is particularly pronounced for women, older workers, and those employed in regions with more unfavorable initial labor market conditions. |
| Keywords: | military base closure, local labor markets, worker displacement, fiscal multipliers, spatial spillovers, public finance |
| JEL: | J21 J23 J63 H56 H71 H72 R11 R51 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:zewdip:341412 |
| By: | Knabe, Andreas; Koevel, Arne; Klärner, Andreas |
| Abstract: | Governments need in-depth knowledge of poverty levels and how they vary by region because place and context matter for determining the shape and impact of poverty and adjusting regional policies to effectively combat it. However, there is no standard approach for reporting poverty levels or regional differences in poverty in the existing reports. To better understand the differences in reporting regional disparities in poverty, our study aims to collect and systematize concepts related to the regional differentiation of poverty in Germany and the United Kingdom (UK). In a systematic review, we collected official government reports on poverty in Germany and the UK published until 2022 and investigated (1) which indicators are used to measure poverty in official social reporting, and (2) to what extent are identified indicators presented in a spatially differentiated manner. Based on our findings, we reflected on the comparability and appropriateness of the identified concepts with respect to the description of regional disparities in poverty levels. Our aim is to provide an overview of approaches to poverty measurement at the regional and sub-regional levels and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches. |
| Abstract: | Um Armut wirksam bekämpfen zu können, benötigen Bundes- und Landesregierungen verlässliche Informationen darüber, wie stark Armut ausgeprägt ist und wie sie sich regional unterscheidet. Denn Ort und Kontext prägen sowohl die Erscheinungsformen als auch die Folgen von Armut und sind daher wichtig für eine wirksame, regional angepasste Armutsbekämpfung. In bestehenden Regierungsberichten gibt es jedoch keinen einheitlichen Ansatz, um Armut und regionale Armutsunterschiede darzustellen. Unsere Studie untersucht daher, wie regionale Armutsdisparitäten in der offiziellen Sozialberichterstattung in Deutschland und im Vereinigten Königreich erfasst und beschrieben werden. Grundlage ist ein systematischer Review offizieller Armutsberichte, die bis 2022 veröffentlicht wurden. Analysiert wird, welche Indikatoren zur Armutsmessung verwendet werden und in welchem Umfang diese räumlich differenziert ausgewiesen werden. Auf dieser Basis diskutieren wir die Vergleichbarkeit und Eignung der unterschiedlichen Konzepte für die Beschreibung regionaler Armutsunterschiede. Ziel ist es, einen Überblick über Ansätze der Armutsmessung auf regionaler und subregionaler Ebene zu geben und ihre jeweiligen Stärken und Schwächen herauszuarbeiten. |
| Keywords: | poverty, inequality, official reporting, regional disparities, measurement, relative poverty, Germany, United Kingdom, Armut, Ungleichheit, offizielle Berichterstattung, regionale Disparitäten, Messung, relative Armut, Deutschland, Vereinigtes Königreich |
| JEL: | I32 I38 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:jhtiwp:341416 |
| By: | Anthony Howell; Maryann Feldman; Lauren Lanahan; Nikhil Kalathil; Evan Johnson |
| Abstract: | We release a new dataset of U.S. skill specialization, relatedness, and complexity, derived from 433.6 million job postings between 2010 and 2024. The panel covers 3, 194 counties across 15 years and reports 201 variables that describe the volume of job postings (e.g., labor demand), the modality and nature of work (e.g., remote share, internship share), and the structure of employer skill demand by category (e.g., specialized, software, and common). We develop a suite of economic geography variables: skill-based measures of county specialization, relatedness, diversity, complexity, and dynamics. These measures are further decomposed by employer entity type (corporate, university, government, and federal lab), along with entity-pair measures of alignment, overlap, and directional skill gaps. An accompanying interactive dashboard supports both academic research and applied use, with features including spatiotemporal visualization, county rankings and trends, pairwise county comparisons, and individual county profiles. |
| Date: | 2026–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2606.09918 |
| By: | Claude DIEBOLT (BETA/CNRS & University of Strasbourg); Joel Huesler (University of Bern, Switzerland) |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:afc:wpaper:10-25 |
| By: | Lhoussaine Lmouden (LAREFMO, FSJES-Agadur, UIZ - Laboratoire de Recherche en Entreprenariat, Finance et Management des Organisations, Faculté des sciences juridiques, économiques et sociales, Université Ibn Zohr-Agadir, Maroc); Abdelkader El Moutaoukil |
| Abstract: | Abstract This paper examines the structural determinants of the territorial competitiveness of the Souss-Massa region within the institutional framework of advanced regionalization in Morocco. To this end, we adopted a rigorous empirical approach based on the systematic exploitation of official secondary data (notably from the High Commission for Planning, the Regional Tourism Observatory, and reports from the Regional Council). The study constructs a Synthetic Index of Territorial Competitiveness (SITC). This index is built around four interdependent pillars: economic performance measured by regional GDP and sectoral productivity; human capital understood through education levels and the alignment between employment and skills; physical infrastructure including transport networks and digital equipment; and institutional governance assessed by the quality of public services and coordination among stakeholders. The quantitative results reveal a generally robust level of competitiveness, with a normalized score of 0.64 out of 1. This performance is primarily driven by a strong agro-industrial and tourism specialization, two historically structuring sectors for the regional economy. However, the multidimensional analysis highlights persistent intra-regional disparities, particularly between the Souss Valley and mountainous areas, as well as a critical deficit in qualified human capital, especially in the fields of engineering and territorial management. These factors hinder the structural transition toward a higher value-added territorial economy. Our research concludes on the imperative of strengthening territorial governance through a more agile and collaborative approach, involving local authorities, universities, and businesses, combined with strategic economic diversification toward bio-resources and digital services. This would improve the resilience of the regional development model in the face of contemporary climate, social, and economic challenges. Keywords: Territorial competitiveness; Souss-Massa; Synthetic index; Regional development; Morocco; Territorial governance. |
| Abstract: | Ce papier examine les déterminants structurels de la compétitivité territoriale de la région Souss-Massa dans le cadre institutionnel de la régionalisation avancée au Maroc. Nous avons adopté pour cela une approche empirique rigoureuse fondée sur l'exploitation systématique de données secondaires officielles (notamment du Haut-Commissariat au Plan, de l'Observatoire régional du tourisme et des rapports du Conseil régional), l'étude réalisée construit un Indice Synthétique de Compétitivité Territoriale (ISCT). Cet indice s'articule autour de quatre piliers interdépendants : la performance économique mesurée par le PIB régional et la productivité sectorielle, le capital humain appréhendé à travers les niveaux de formation et l'adéquation emploi-compétences, les infrastructures matérielles incluant les réseaux de transport et les équipements numériques, ainsi que la gouvernance institutionnelle évaluée par la qualité des services publics et la coordination entre acteurs. Ainsi, les résultats quantitatifs obtenus révèlent une compétitivité globalement robuste, avec un score normalisé de 0, 64 sur 1, performance principalement portée par une forte spécialisation agro-industrielle et touristique, deux secteurs historiquement structurants pour l'économie régionale. Toutefois, l'analyse multidimensionnelle réalisée met en évidence des disparités intra-régionales persistantes, notamment entre la vallée du Souss et les zones montagneuses, ainsi qu'un déficit critique en capital humain qualifié, particulièrement dans les métiers de l'ingénierie et du management territorial. Ces facteurs freinent la transition structurelle vers une économie territoriale à plus forte valeur ajoutée. Notre recherche conclut sur l'impératif d'un renforcement de la gouvernance territoriale par une approche plus agile et collaborative, associant collectivités, universités et entreprises, conjugué à une diversification économique stratégique en direction des bio-ressources et des services numériques, afin d'améliorer la résilience du modèle de développement régional face aux défis climatiques, sociaux et économiques contemporains. Mots clés : Compétitivité territoriale ; Souss-Massa ; Indice synthétique ; Développement régional ; Maroc ; Gouvernance territoriale. |
| Keywords: | Souss-Massa, Synthetic index, Regional development, Morocco, Territorial governance, African Scientific Journal, Territorial competitiveness, Territorial competitiveness Souss-Massa Synthetic index Regional development Morocco Territorial governance, Indice synthétique, Maroc, Gouvernance territoriale, Développement régional, Compétitivité territoriale |
| Date: | 2026–05–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05615714 |
| By: | Schlömer-Laufen, Nadine; Butkowski, Olivier K.; Schneck, Stefan |
| Abstract: | Unternehmen tragen zum Wohlergehen von Regionen bei. Was passiert aber, wenn Unternehmen geschlossen werden? Ziel dieser Studie ist es, Ausmaß, bestimmende Faktoren und Folgen von Unternehmensaustritten auf regionaler Ebene zu analysieren. Dabei zeigen wir, dass sich Unternehmensaustritte eher in städtischen Regionen mit regem Gründungsgeschehen häufen. Ebenso verdeutlichen unsere Analysen, dass sich Austritte nicht zwangsläufig negativ auf die regionale Entwicklung auswirken, insbesondere dann nicht, wenn die Region zugleich durch ein reges regionales Gründungsgeschehen geprägt ist. |
| Keywords: | business closures, spatial planning regions, start-up activity, Unternehmensausstritte, Raumordnungsregionen, Gründungsgeschehen |
| JEL: | G33 O10 L26 R11 M13 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifmduf:341624 |