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The role of immigrants, emigrants and locals in the historical formation of European knowledge agglomerations

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  • Philipp Koch
  • Viktor Stojkoski
  • César A. Hidalgo

Abstract

Did migrants make Paris a mecca for the arts and Vienna a beacon of classical music? Or was their rise a pure consequence of local actors? We use data on more than 22,000 historical individuals born between the years 1000 and 2000 to estimate the contribution of famous immigrants, emigrants and locals to the knowledge specialisations of European regions. We find that the probability that a region develops or keeps specialisation in an activity (based on the birth of famous physicists, painters, etc.) grows with both the presence of immigrants with knowledge about that activity and immigrants with knowledge in related activities. In contrast, we do not find robust evidence that the presence of locals with related knowledge explains entries and/or exits. We address some endogeneity concerns using fixed-effects models considering any location–period–activity-specific factors (e.g., the presence of a new university attracting scientists).

Suggested Citation

  • Philipp Koch & Viktor Stojkoski & César A. Hidalgo, 2024. "The role of immigrants, emigrants and locals in the historical formation of European knowledge agglomerations," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(9), pages 1659-1673, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:58:y:2024:i:9:p:1659-1673
    DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2023.2275571
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    Cited by:

    1. Stojkoski, Viktor & Hidalgo, César, 2025. "Optimizing Economic Complexity," TSE Working Papers 24-1623, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    2. Étienne Capron & Giovanni Formilan & Raphaël Suire & Patrick Cohendet, 2025. "What a journey to the Louvre ! A study of the coevolution of artistic communities and place attendance in Paris," Post-Print hal-05101622, HAL.
    3. Hu, Jinjin & Huo, Dong & Wu, Delin & Yang, Chunhong, 2025. "The effect of corporate agglomeration networks on breakthrough innovation—Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).

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