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How industries migrate when agglomeration economies are important

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  • Thomas J. Holmes

Abstract

The Economics of QWERTY suggests that historical accidents can trap economies in inefficient equilibria. This paper suggests that such accidents do not have the force that proponents claim. The paper presents a mechanism that may unravel a locational advantage caused by an historical accident. In the model, there are agglomeration benefits from concentrating industry in a particular location because it enables a large variety of local suppliers to emerge. Firms differ by the extent to which they purchase from local suppliers. Low-tier firms purchase little; high-tier firms purchase more. When the industry migrates, the lowest-tier products move first.

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  • Thomas J. Holmes, 1996. "How industries migrate when agglomeration economies are important," Staff Report 219, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedmsr:219
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    Cited by:

    1. Barrios, Salvador & Bertinelli, Luisito & Strobl, E. & Teixeira, Antonio-Carlos, 2005. "The dynamics of agglomeration: evidence from Ireland and Portugal," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 170-188, January.
    2. Konrad, Kai A. & Kovenock, Dan, 2009. "Competition for FDI with vintage investment and agglomeration advantages," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(2), pages 230-237, November.
    3. J. Vernon Henderson, Zmarak Shalizi, and Anthony J. Venables, 2001. "Geography and development," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 1(1), pages 81-105, January.
    4. Ivo Bischoff & Stefan Krabel, 2017. "Local taxes and political influence: evidence from locally dominant firms in German municipalities," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 24(2), pages 313-337, April.
    5. Thomas J. Holmes, 2004. "Step-by-step Migrations," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 7(1), pages 52-68, January.
    6. Konrad, Kai A. & Kovenock, Dan, 2009. "Competition for FDI with vintage investment and agglomeration advantages," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(2), pages 230-237, November.
    7. Konishi, Hideo, 2000. "Formation of Hub Cities: Transportation Cost Advantage and Population Agglomeration," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 1-28, July.
    8. Thomas J. Holmes, 1996. "Step-by-step migration to efficient agglomerations," Staff Report 221, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
    9. Agnès Arabeyre-Petiot, 1999. "High speed road network and spatial lock in: towards a technology standards approach. The case of the French aircraft industry [Le rôle des liaisons interurbaines dans l’arbitrage métropole-système," Post-Print halshs-01357425, HAL.
    10. Thomas Holmes, 2004. "EconomicDynamics Interviews Thomas Holmes on Dynamic Economic Geography," EconomicDynamics Newsletter, Review of Economic Dynamics, vol. 6(1), November.
    11. Johannes Van Biesebroeck, 2010. "Bidding for Investment Projects: Smart Public Policy or Corporate Welfare?," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 36(s1), pages 31-48, April.

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    Industrial location;

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