This paper studies the frequency of observing a certain number of firms or employees in a region for a given industry. Various predictions for these frequencies are deduced from theoretical considerations. Then, the empirical distributions of 198 industries in Germany are analysed. It is found that different kinds of industries show quite different distributions.
This paper uses data relating to individual business units to examine the determinants of regional productivity differentials across British regions. It demonstrates that the substantial differences in regional productivity can be explained by a fairly limited set of variables. These include industry mix, the capital employed by the firm, business ownership and the skills of the local labour force.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and to what extent European manufacturing location has been driven by regional localisation or national comparative advantages during the period 1985-2001. To this end, the relative concentration pattern of each industry is disentangled into within and between country components.
The paper discusses the concept of "traditional knowledge": its definition, economic significance and role in shaping regional development trajectories. After outlining a conceptual framework for the analysis of traditional knowledge, the paper examines the changing position of traditional knowledge in two Italian regions that have followed quite different development trajectories since the 1950s.
This paper analyses the wage cost and labour productivity differentials in the European Union for period 1995-2000, from a regional and sectorial perspective. Results show the existence of high regional disparities, that differ with the sector.
In this paper, the authors group territorial units, following the methodology of cluster analysis, making use of official statistics like the population census of 2001. The goal is to obtain homogenous NUTS II in economic and social terms, therefore challenging the 2002 nomenclature modifications.
The paper analyses the effects of the Mercosul commercial block on export intensity of different regions in Brazil. A gravitational model is employed to explain the intensity of exports of different Brazilian regions according to destination countries, differentiating those pertaining to Mercosul.
The article discusses the case of Finnish universities and polytechnics in re-defining their roles in regional development and especially in regional innovation environment. The article introduces the concept of “third task organisations” to describe these units within universities and polytechnics with regional effectiveness as their primary mission.
A regional e-cluster system and its cybernetics are characterised by a high degree of complexity which requires a comprehensive strategy, according to the authors. The identification of the key components of this e-cluster system and its interrelationships show that the component “knowledge management” is a critical and decisive process in an e-cluster system.
The authors examine whether discretionary government grants influence the location of new plants. Findings indicate that Grants have a small effect in attracting plants to specific geographic areas, but their effectiveness increases with agglomeration externalities,
measured by the number of other plants in that location in the same industry.