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Specialization and Concentration from a Twofold Geographical Perspective: Evidence from Europe

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  • Eleonora Cutrini

Abstract

Cutrini E. Specialization and concentration from a twofold geographical perspective: evidence from Europe, Regional Studies. This paper investigates European location patterns during a period of economic integration, seeking to identify the distinct roles played by the different geographical levels. The evolution of localization in Europe proved much more complicated empirically than the predictions based on Krugman's hypothesis. Using Eurostat regional data for the period 1985-2001, the paper shows that while manufacturing employment trickled down among regions, after the completion of the European Single Market a slight agglomeration occurred, but only across national boundaries. National specialization has emerged particularly in the European Union founding Member States. Moreover, there is evidence of an increasing polarization of the North-South divide closely connected with the growing concentration of high-technology sectors. [image omitted] Cutrini E. La specialisation et la concentration d'un point de vue geographique a deux temps: des preuves europeennes, Regional Studies. Cet article cherche a examiner la distribution europeenne des emplacements pendant une periode d'integration economique et a identifier les roles differents joues par les divers niveaux geographiques. L'evolution des emplacements en Europe s'est averee beaucoup plus compliquee du point de vue empirique par rapport aux previsions fondees sur l'hypothese de Krugman. A partir des donnees regionales Eurostat pour la periode allant de 1985 jusqu'a 2001, cet article cherche a demontrer que, pendant que l'emploi industriel s'infiltrait dans les regions au compte-gouttes, il y a eu une certaine tendance a l'agglomeration suite a l'echeance du marche unique, mais seulement de facon transfrontaliere. Une specialisation nationale a vu le jour, notamment dans les pays fondateurs de l'Ue. Qui plus est, il y a des peuves d'une polarisation croissante du clivage Nord-Sud, ce qui se rapporte etroitement a la concentration croissante des secteurs a la pointe de la technologie. Emplacements Specialisation Concentration Integration economique europeenne Analyse geographique a deux temps Cutrini E. Spezialisierung und Konzentration aus einer zweiteiligen geografischen Perspektive: Belege aus Europa, Regional Studies. In diesem Beitrag untersuche ich die Standortmuster in Europa wahrend einer Periode der wirtschaftlichen Integration, um die charakteristischen Rollen zu identifizieren, die von den verschiedenen geografischen Ebenen wahrgenommen werden. Die Evolution der Lokalisierung in Europa erwies sich in empirischer Hinsicht als weitaus komplizierter als die Prognosen auf der Grundlage der Krugman-Hypothese. Mit Hilfe von Eurostat-Regionaldaten weise ich fur den Zeitraum von 1985 bis 2001 nach, dass das Beschaftigungsniveau der produzierenden Industrie innerhalb der Regionen zwar einem Trickle-Down-Effekt unterlag, aber nach Vollendung des Europaischen Binnenmarkts eine leichte Agglomeration auftrat, allerdings nur uber nationale Grenzen hinweg. Eine nationale Spezialisierung hat sich insbesondere in den Grundungsmitgliedsstaaten der EU herausgebildet. Daruber hinaus liegen Belege fur eine zunehmende Polarisierung des Nord-Sud-Gefalles vor, die eng mit der wachsenden Konzentration von High-Tech-Sektoren verknupft ist. Lokalisierung Spezialisierung Konzentration Europaische Wirtschaftsintegration Zweiteilige geografische Analyse Cutrini E. Especializacion y concentracion desde una perspectiva geografica dual: el ejemplo de Europa, Regional Studies. En este articulo examinamos los modelos de ubicacion europea durante un periodo de integracion economica con el fin de identificar los distintos papeles desempenados por los diferentes niveles geograficos. La evolucion de la localizacion en Europa resulta ser empiricamente mucho mas complicada que las predicciones basadas en la hipotesis de Krugman. Usando datos regionales de Eurostat para el periodo 1985-2001, en este articulo mostramos que mientras el empleo manufacturero sufrio un efecto 'goteo' entre las regiones, tras la creacion del Mercado Unico Europeo ocurrio una ligera aglomeracion, pero solo entre fronteras nacionales. La especializacion nacional ha surgido especialmente en los estados miembros fundadores de la UE. Ademas, hay muestras de una mayor polarizacion de la division norte/sur estrechamente conectada con la creciente concentracion de sectores de alta tecnologia. Localizacion Especializacion Concentracion Integracion economica europea Analisis geografico dual

Suggested Citation

  • Eleonora Cutrini, 2010. "Specialization and Concentration from a Twofold Geographical Perspective: Evidence from Europe," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(3), pages 315-336.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:44:y:2010:i:3:p:315-336
    DOI: 10.1080/00343400802378743
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    1. Olga Alonso-Villar & Coral Del RÍo, 2012. "Concentration of Economic Activity: Inequality-Based Measures," Spatial Economic Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(2), pages 223-246, June.
    2. Nicola Cortinovis & Frank Oort, 2015. "Variety, economic growth and knowledge intensity of European regions: a spatial panel analysis," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 55(1), pages 7-32, October.
    3. Eleonora Cutrini & Giorgio Galeazzi, 2017. "External Public Debt, Trade Linkages and Contagion During the Eurozone Crisis," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(9), pages 1718-1749, September.
    4. Adriana-Elena (REVEIU) DÂRDAL?, 2012. "A Spatial Based Analysis Of Romania’S High-Tech Industry," REVISTA ADMINISTRATIE SI MANAGEMENT PUBLIC, Faculty of Administration and Public Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 2012(8), pages 165-172, June.
    5. Danilo Carullo & Paolo Di Caro & Ugo Fratesi, 2025. "The role of employment, labour productivity and trade linkages in the evolution of European regional disparities," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 74(1), pages 1-30, March.
    6. Sandrine Noblet & Antoine Belgodere, 2016. "Coordination Costs and the Geography of Production," Spatial Economic Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(4), pages 392-412, October.
    7. Pomerlyan, Evgeniya & Belitski, Maksim, 2023. "Integration - Growth relationship: A literature review and future research agenda using a TCCM approach," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 1106-1118.
    8. Bickenbach, Frank & Bode, Eckhardt & Krieger-Boden, Christiane, 2010. "Structural cohesion in Europe: Stylized facts," Kiel Working Papers 1669, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    9. Longhi, Christian & Musolesi, Antonio & Baumont, Catherine, 2014. "Modeling structural change in the European metropolitan areas during the process of economic integration," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 395-407.
    10. Eleonora Cutrini & Ben Gardiner & Ron Martin, 2023. "EU integration and the geographies of economic activity: 1985–2019," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 55(2), pages 274-302, March.
    11. Dieter F. Kogler & Jürgen Essletzbichler & David L. Rigby, 2017. "The evolution of specialization in the EU15 knowledge space," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 17(2), pages 345-373.
    12. Roy Cerqueti & Eleonora Cutrini, 2021. "A Framework for Modelling Economic Regional Location Processes Under Uncertainty," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 19(4), pages 703-725, December.
    13. Frank Bickenbach & Eckhardt Bode & Christiane Krieger-Boden, 2013. "Closing the gap between absolute and relative measures of localization, concentration or specialization," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 92(3), pages 465-479, August.
    14. Wolfgang Dauth & Michaela Fuchs & Anne Otto, 2018. "Long‐run processes of geographical concentration and dispersion: Evidence from Germany," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 97(3), pages 569-593, August.
    15. Roy Cerqueti & Eleonora Cutrini, 2024. "Testing for Localization with Entropy-Based Measures," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 173(1), pages 227-247, May.
    16. Qiang Li & Jason F. Kovacs & Geun Hee Choi, 2021. "High-technology employment growth in China: geographic disparities in economic structure and sectoral performance," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 1025-1064, November.
    17. Jonathan Jones, 2017. "Agglomeration economies and the location of foreign direct investment: A meta-analysis," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(5), pages 731-757, November.
    18. Emmanouil Tranos & Peter Nijkamp, 2014. "Digital infrastructure and physical proximity," Chapters, in: André Torre & Frédéric Wallet (ed.), Regional Development and Proximity Relations, chapter 8, pages 267-290, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    19. Olga Alonso-Villar, 2011. "Measuring concentration: Lorenz curves and their decompositions," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 47(2), pages 451-475, October.
    20. Theodore Tsekeris & Klimis Vogiatzoglou, 2014. "Public infrastructure investments and regional specialization: empirical evidence from Greece," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(3), pages 265-289, August.
    21. Eleonora Cutrini and Giorgio Galeazzi, 2014. "Contagion in the Euro crisis: capital flows and trade linkages," Working Papers 44-2014, Macerata University, Department of Studies on Economic Development (DiSSE), revised Nov 2014.
    22. Olga Alonso-Villar & Coral del Río, 2009. "Geographic Concentration of Economic Activity: An aggregate index," Working Papers 0901, Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Economía Aplicada.
    23. Domenica Panzera & Alfredo Cartone & Paolo Postiglione, 2022. "New evidence on measuring the geographical concentration of economic activities," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 101(1), pages 59-79, February.
    24. Lehtonen Olli & Tykkyläinen Markku & Voutilainen Olli, 2012. "Root causes of rural decline in economic well-being in Finland," European Countryside, Sciendo, vol. 4(3), pages 217-239, January.
    25. Bin Liao, 2024. "Does New Urbanization Promote Urban Metabolic Efficiency?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-20, January.

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