How Functional Are Economic Areas? Tests for Intra‐regional Spatial Association Using Spatial Data Analysis

Abstract

Spatial associations within eight Southeastern Functional Economic Areas were investigated using three spatial data analysis techniques (Moran's L. G2(d) statistic and local Moran) and 1980 to 1990 population change at the country and census tract levels. Core hinterland relationships in EEAs were categorized as spread through growth, spread through decentralization, backwards or independent, based on intra regional patterns of spatial association. Findings indicate that all four of the spread backwash typologies were evident among the eight economic regions. Yet, spatial association with the core (spread or backwash) generally was limited to hinterland areas at the core's range. Spatial dependence between core and hinterland areas declined with distance from the economic region's core area. For many rural locations, changes in economic activity are independent of economic development experiences in nearby locations.

Krugman's Papers in Regional Science: The 100 dollar bill on the sidewalk is gone and the 2008 Nobel Prize well‐deserved

“…Krugman's contribution also influenced papers dealing essentially with issues of spatial interdependence and the question of how cores and peripheries interact, and how far those interactions extend (e.g., how are population changes transmitted and how do they influence core‐hinterland relationships; see Barkley et al. 1995).…”

An Empirically Based Implementation and Evaluation of a Hierarchical Model for Commuting Flows. 一种基于经验的层状通勤流模型实现与评估

“…The high degree of regional intradependency is very much associated with physical, topographical, and transportation barriers that lengthen travel distances and thereby deter economic relationships with other regions. The region also approximates what is defined as ''an economic area'' in Barkley et al (1995) with a relatively self-contained labor market, and a relatively large central place (Haugesund) that influences economic activity in the periphery. There are seven municipalities in the region, and postal delivery zones divide each municipality.…”

Sustained Firm Growth and Regional Income Convergence

“…EAs are functional, largely independent economic regions (Barkley et al 1995). Designed to represent regional labor, product, and information markets (K. Johnson and Kort 2004), EAs use counties as their building blocks.…”