Separate Worlds? Explaining the current wave of regional economic polarization

Abstract

Interregional and inter-metropolitan economic divergence is greater in many western developed countries than it has been in many decades. Divergence manifests itself in many ways, including per capita income, labor force participation, and the spatial the distribution of skills and returns to education. At the same time, geographical polarization of political preferences and electoral choices has increased, with gains in populism and nationalism in some regions, and broadening of socially liberal, pro-trade, and multicultural attitudes in other regions. The task of explaining these developments poses challenges to economic geography and regional and urban economics. These fields have already developed some of the building blocks of an account, but a number of important gaps persist. This article is devoted to identifying priorities for regional science and urban economics, the new economic geography, and proper economic geography to tackle the key mechanisms behind divergence as well as to integrate them in a common overall framework. JEL: R10, R21, R23, O18, J61 "Regional inequality is proving too politically dangerous to ignore"-The Economist,

Ever‐transient FDI and ever‐polarizing regional development: Revisiting conventional theories of regional development in the context of China, Southeast and South Asia

“…Finally, echoed in Storper's () and Iammarino et al's () findings, we discover that the distinct geographies of employment, FDI, and trade give rise to regional convergence (or divergence) in China. Among cities and regions, the benefits of agglomeration across China resemble those found in the USA—where most of the innovation and technology firms geographically cluster within big metropolitan regions (Moretti, ; Porter, )—but differ from those in the European Union, in which many industrial sectors are spreading out and the effect of history remains strong (Storper, Chen & De Paolis, ).…”

“…These case studies can help us determine the applicability of those theories for other developing countries. That is, many countries in the Global South demand solutions for the harms of regional inequality (Martin, Tyler, Storper, Evenhuis, & Glasmeier, ; Storper, ), so these experiences may provide some solutions.…”

“…As a synthesis or extension of the existing theories, we propose a leapfrog polarization pattern and strategy for vast developing countries in considering their regional development strategies. of regional inequality (Martin, Tyler, Storper, Evenhuis, & Glasmeier, 2018;Storper, 2018), so these experiences may provide some solutions.…”

Bridging the Gap between Firms and Universities: Firm Links with Research and Technology Organisations in Different Types of Regions

“…Metropolitan regions also host a broad variety of organisations in the knowledge application and exploitation subsystem, including firms in sectors traditionally linked to university research (Storper, 2018). In addition, these regions are typically well endowed with major communication infrastructures such as ports and airports, ensuring their connectedness to global knowledge networks (McCann, 2008;Rodríguez-Pose & Fitjar, 2013).…”

Skill and Earnings in the Healthcare Sector: Evidence From Rustbelt and Sunbelt Cities

“…Economic geographers have only begun recently to pay attention to the issue in the context of urban development (Florida et al ; Kemeny & Cooke ). While these studies have concluded that larger cities tend to host more skilled workers and pay higher wages, Storper () rightly pointed out the story of United States’ regional development in the last fifty years has remained focus on regional divergence arising from relocation of the skilled from the Rustbelt to the Sunbelt.…”