1,721,369 research outputs found
The economics of proximity: Regional growth, beyond geographic proximity
Full text linkNijkamp, P. [Promotor]Capello, R. [Promotor
Review of Great Minds in regional science vol. 2 By Peter Batey, David Plane (Eds.), Springer Verlag
No full textTowards a New Conceptualization of Innovation in Space: Territorial Patterns of Innovation
Full text linkThis article investigates the way in which regions innovate. Its conceptual
framework departs from the simple notion that scientific activities equate with knowledge,
which assumes that the presence of local knowledge produced by research centres,
universities and firms is a necessary and sufficient condition for increasing the innovative
capacities in local firms, fed by local spillovers. In particular, the paradigmatic jump in
interpreting regional innovation processes lies in a conceptual framework interpreting not
a single phase of the innovation process, but the different modes of performing different
phases of the innovation process. This article conceptually identifies different territorial
patterns of innovation and highlights the context conditions (internal and external to
the region) that accompany each innovation pattern. Based on this debate, I express
some doubts on the usefulness of EU policy aims for achieving a figure of 3% of the EU’s
GDP (public and private) to be invested in R&D/innovation and instead strongly support
normative suggestions towards thematically and regionally focused innovation policies
Catching-up and regional disparities: a resource-allocation approach
No full textWhile the allocation of regional assets has been theoretically and empirically analysed in regional growth theories, the subsequent logical step on how such allocation affects regional inequalities has not found direct quantitative validation. This paper tries to fill this gap by presenting an original simulation able to capture the relative weight of each economic resource in the process of decreasing regional disparities. Results witness that not all resources play the same role and that inequalities are better overcome when growth assets fit the regional productive specialization. The former result represents a guide for raising policymakers’ awareness on resource priority investments, while the latter proves once again that the local productive vocation is dramatically relevant, and that Cohesion Policy cannot be designed without considering local specificities, in line with the theoretical arguments of the Smart Specialization Strategy
Merging macroeconomic and territorial determinants of regional growth: the MASST4 model
Full text linkWhile prior econometric forecasting models focus on either macroeconomic or territorial aspects as drivers of regional growth, the fourth version of the MAcroeconomic, Sectoral, Social, Territorial (MASST4) model merges these two conceptual approaches to regional growth. Mechanisms of territorial complexity governing regional development theories, like agglomeration economies, or structural changes in innovation modes, are included into a formal model so that they simultaneously activate regional growth and mediate macroeconomic growth impacts. Moreover, a longer time series than in previous versions of the MASST model now allows to take account of the structural changes taking place in EU economies as a consequence of the recent crisis. The model now also models the effects of the decrease in EU integration stemming from populistic waves in politics taking place in EU countries.
The paper also presents an application of the MASST model to a reference scenario
Conclusion: the concept of proximity in regional science - a synthesis and future research avenues
No full textThe aim of this chapter is to highlight the main messages the reader can grasp by reading the handbook, and what remains to be interpreted in this fascinating concept. This aim is achieved through a diachronic review of the nexus between space and proximity developed in the different regional growth theories, a nexus that evolves according to the economic advantages that proximity is called to explain. The chapter then underlines the fascinating role played by proximities in linking long distance networks and local space, that emerges from reading the handbook, and concludes with a personal view on what remains to be studied
Forecasting regional growth: the MASST model
Full text linkNowadays, forecasting regional growth is not possible without taking into account the recent economic dynamics at national and supranational level. In fact, the particular focus of the European Union on sovereign debts and deficits imposed by the economic slowdown, the macroeconomic trends that emerged as a result of the crisis and, last but not least, new politically sensible decisions concerning the future of the European Union play a role
in explaining the remarkable industrial and geographic heterogeneity in the response to the crisis and the persistence of some of the contraction-induced effects in some countries and regions. All this introduces complexity in the way regional economic growth can be modelled for forecasting purposes. The MASST model is a regional econometric growth model built to simulate regional growth scenarios in the medium and long run (typically, over a 15–20‐year time horizon), taking into consideration also macroeconomic aspects; in its estimation step, in fact, it explains regional growth as the result of national
macroeconomic trends and regional growth assets at the same time. This paper aims to present the model and its interpretative power by merging national macroeconomic trends and the long-term regional structure. Particular emphasis will be given to the outcomes of two recent simulations for Polish regions
Regional Transformations Processes: Reindustrialization and Technological Upgrading as Drivers of Productivity Gains
No full textContinuous vs. Discrete Urban Ranks: Explaining the Evolution in the Italian Urban Hierarchy over Five Decades
Full text linkThe reasons for changes in ranking within urban systems are a matter of a wide and long debate. Some focus on a continuous and smooth ordering of cities by their size within the urban system, in the tradition of Zipf’s law. Others focus on discrete, discontinuous ordering, as cities take on functions at different levels, such as specialized market places or high-level education, in the tradition of Christaller.
We enter the debate by empirically evaluating whether the same determinants explain continuous or discrete changes in urban ranks in the evolution of the Italian urban hierarchy over the years 1971 to 2011. We empirically show that small, continuous changes of cities’ ranks have different drivers than large, discontinuous leaps. The presence of highlevel functions in a city predicts major leaps across discrete ranks. Results are robust to the use of an instrumental variable strategy based on a shift–share argument
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