IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wiw/wiwrsa/ersa10p628.html

The Emergence of New Regional Convergence Clubs in a Nordic and Baltic Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Andreas P. Cornett

  • Nils Karl Soerensen

Abstract

The spatial patterns of changes in economic diversion and convergence have become more blurred in the last decades. International disparities between nations have diminished. At the same time intra-national disparities have increased in most European countries. In the search to identify the drivers behind this seemingly paradox this paper tries to look behind the traditional way to analyze convergence and disparities based on consolidated national or geographical based groups of regions. The purpose of the paper is to identify groups or clubs of regions in the Nordic countries characterized by similar patterns of development with regard to economic performance measured by GDP per capita. The clubs are identified by a series of variables defined according to the most important determinants for economic growth according to neoclassical and new economic growth theory, i.e. capital formation, labor force, but also innovative capabilities, human resources, entrepreneurship etc. The first section provides a brief outline of the theoretical foundations and a discussion of the specific research questions analyzed. Section 2 provides a survey of regional growth performance with special attention on divergence and convergence based on NUTS II or similar regional division based on statistics ranging from the mid 1990ties. Section 3 aims to identify different types of regions according to the main drivers of regional change. The following factors are examined: Population change and composition, regional innovative potential and entrepreneurial behavior. Based on this identification of regional clubs, challenges and tendencies of regional development are assessed in a spatial and national context. The last section summarizes the main findings of the study and provides an attempt to characterize the spatial and structural characteristics of the identified groups. Finally an attempt is made to sketch some further perspectives and policy implications of the obtained results. Key words: economic convergence and disparities - growth drivers - convergence clubs - typology of regions JEL classification: R11, R12 and R58.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreas P. Cornett & Nils Karl Soerensen, 2011. "The Emergence of New Regional Convergence Clubs in a Nordic and Baltic Perspective," ERSA conference papers ersa10p628, European Regional Science Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p628
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www-sre.wu.ac.at/ersa/ersaconfs/ersa10/ERSA2010finalpaper628.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Maria Abreu & Henri L. F. de Groot & Raymond J. G. M. Florax, 2005. "A Meta‐Analysis of β‐Convergence: the Legendary 2%," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(3), pages 389-420, July.
    2. Tomás Mancha-Navarro & Rubén Garrido-Yserte, 2008. "Regional policy in the European Union: The cohesion-competitiveness dilemma," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 1(1), pages 47-66, November.
    3. Ejermo, Olof & Kander, Astrid, 2006. "The Swedish Paradox," Papers in Innovation Studies 2006/1, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andreas P. Cornett & Nils Karl Soerensen, 2012. "Determinants of Convergence and Disparities in Europe: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the Processes of Clustering," ERSA conference papers ersa12p631, European Regional Science Association.
    2. Andreas P. Cornett & Nils Karl Soerensen, 2013. "Development, growth and decline in Europe: New patterns of economic convergence and divergence?," ERSA conference papers ersa13p320, European Regional Science Association.
    3. Wesley, J.D. & Shen, Xuan & Li, Sheng & Wilson, Norbert L.W., 2012. "Agricultural Trade Bias in Exchange Rate Volatility Effect Estimation: An Application of Meta-Regression Analysis," 2012 Annual Meeting, August 12-14, 2012, Seattle, Washington 124870, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Andersson, Martin & Klaesson, Johan & P. Larsson, Johan, 2012. "How Local are Spatial Density Externalities? evidence from square grid data," Papers in Innovation Studies 2012/10, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    5. repec:wly:econjl:v::y:2017:i:605:p:f236-f265 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. de la Croix, David & Gosseries, Axel, 2012. "The natalist bias of pollution control," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 271-287.
    7. Marek Rusnak & Tomas Havranek & Roman Horvath, 2013. "How to Solve the Price Puzzle? A Meta‐Analysis," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 45(1), pages 37-70, February.
    8. Sebri, Maamar, 2015. "Use renewables to be cleaner: Meta-analysis of the renewable energy consumption–economic growth nexus," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 657-665.
    9. Maarten Bosker & Harry Garretsen, 2010. "Trade costs in empirical New Economic Geography," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 89(3), pages 485-511, August.
    10. Chaminade, Cristina & de Fuentes, Claudia, 2012. "Competences as drivers and enablers of globalization of innovation: Swedish ICT industry and emerging economies," Papers in Innovation Studies 2012/6, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    11. Rosa Bernadini Papalia & Silvia Bertarelli, 2013. "Identification and Estimation of Club Convergence Models with Spatial Dependence," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(6), pages 2094-2115, November.
    12. Borrás, Susana & Edquist, Charles, 2013. "The choice of innovation policy instruments," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 80(8), pages 1513-1522.
    13. Wasilewski, Adam, 2015. "Efficiency Of Eu Financial Support Policy For Development Of Rural Entrepreneurship In Poland," Economics of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Economics, vol. 62(2), pages 1-16, June.
    14. Bruns, Stephan B. & Doucouliagos, Anthony & Doucouliagos, Hristos & König, Johannes & Stanley, T.D. & Zigova, Katarina, 2026. "The delayed acceptance of female research in economics," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    15. Ejermo, Olof, 2006. "Inventive and innovative activity over time and geographical space: the case of Sweden," Papers in Innovation Studies 2006/14, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    16. Xiong, Ailun & Xia, Senmao & Ye, Zhen Peter & Cao, Dongmei & Jing, Yanguo & Li, Hongyi, 2020. "Can innovation really bring economic growth? The role of social filter in China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 50-61.
    17. Martijn J. Smit, 2017. "Innovation through new blood," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 58(3), pages 543-578, May.
    18. Mora Rodríguez, Jhon James & Muro, Juan, 2015. "On the size of sheepskin effects: A meta-analysis," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy, vol. 9, pages 1-18.
    19. Kufenko, Vadmin & Prettner, Klaus, 2017. "You can't always get what you want? A Monte Carlo analysis of the bias and the efficiency of dynamic panel data estimators," ECON WPS - Working Papers in Economic Theory and Policy 07/2017, TU Wien, Institute of Statistics and Mathematical Methods in Economics, Economics Research Unit.
    20. Andreas P. Cornett & Nils Karl Sørensen, 2008. "International vs. Intra-national Convergence in Europe – an Assessment of Causes and Evidence," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 13, pages 35-56.
    21. Zeira, Joseph & di Vaio, Gianfranco & Battisti, Michele, 2013. "Global Divergence in Growth Regressions," CEPR Discussion Papers 9687, Centre for Economic Policy Research.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • R58 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Regional Development Planning and Policy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa10p628. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Gunther Maier (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.ersa.org .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.