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Measuring Industrial Agglomeration in a Rural Industry: The Case of Irish Furniture Manufacturing

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  • Kevin P. Heanue

    (Rural Economy and Development Programme, Teagasc, Athenry, Co. Galway, Ireland)

Abstract

This paper explores whether or not there is evidence of industrial agglomeration in the Irish furniture industry over the period 1973-2006. Although the industry is widely dispersed there are some apparent local concentrations of furniture firms. Whether or not these constitute industrial agglomerations has not previously been formally explored. Using the methodology of standardised location quotients, this paper identifies that furniture firms in County Monaghan constitute a statistically significant spatial concentration of enterprises, suggesting that they may warrant the designation of industrial agglomeration. However, the analysis casts doubts as to whether this grouping of firms might continue to be recognised as an industrial agglomeration in the future as there appears to be less agglomerative tendencies in that location now than in the past.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin P. Heanue, 2008. "Measuring Industrial Agglomeration in a Rural Industry: The Case of Irish Furniture Manufacturing," Working Papers 0830, Rural Economy and Development Programme,Teagasc.
    • Handle: RePEc:tea:wpaper:0830
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