Specialization and Concentration from a Twofold Geographical Perspective: Evidence from Europe

Abstract

Cutrini E. Specialization and concentration from a twofold geographical perspective: evidence from Europe, Regional Studies. This paper investigates European location patterns during a period of economic integration, seeking to identify the distinct roles played by the different geographical levels. The evolution of localization in Europe proved much more complicated empirically than the predictions based on Krugman's hypothesis. Using Eurostat regional data for the period 1985-2001, the paper shows that while manufacturing employment trickled down among regions, after the completion of the European Single Market a slight agglomeration occurred, but only across national boundaries. National specialization has emerged particularly in the European Union founding Member States. Moreover, there is evidence of an increasing polarization of the North-South divide closely connected with the growing concentration of high-technology sectors. [image omitted] Cutrini E. La specialisation et la concentration d'un point de vue geographique a deux temps: des preuves europeennes, Regional Studies. Cet article cherche a examiner la distribution europeenne des emplacements pendant une periode d'integration economique et a identifier les roles differents joues par les divers niveaux geographiques. L'evolution des emplacements en Europe s'est averee beaucoup plus compliquee du point de vue empirique par rapport aux previsions fondees sur l'hypothese de Krugman. A partir des donnees regionales Eurostat pour la periode allant de 1985 jusqu'a 2001, cet article cherche a demontrer que, pendant que l'emploi industriel s'infiltrait dans les regions au compte-gouttes, il y a eu une certaine tendance a l'agglomeration suite a l'echeance du marche unique, mais seulement de facon transfrontaliere. Une specialisation nationale a vu le jour, notamment dans les pays fondateurs de l'Ue. Qui plus est, il y a des peuves d'une polarisation croissante du clivage Nord-Sud, ce qui se rapporte etroitement a la concentration croissante des secteurs a la pointe de la technologie. Emplacements Specialisation Concentration Integration economique europeenne Analyse geographique a deux temps Cutrini E. Spezialisierung und Konzentration aus einer zweiteiligen geografischen Perspektive: Belege aus Europa, Regional Studies. In diesem Beitrag untersuche ich die Standortmuster in Europa wahrend einer Periode der wirtschaftlichen Integration, um die charakteristischen Rollen zu identifizieren, die von den verschiedenen geografischen Ebenen wahrgenommen werden. Die Evolution der Lokalisierung in Europa erwies sich in empirischer Hinsicht als weitaus komplizierter als die Prognosen auf der Grundlage der Krugman-Hypothese. Mit Hilfe von Eurostat-Regionaldaten weise ich fur den Zeitraum von 1985 bis 2001 nach, dass das Beschaftigungsniveau der produzierenden Industrie innerhalb der Regionen zwar einem Trickle-Down-Effekt unterlag, aber nach Vollendung des Europaischen Binnenmarkts eine leichte Agglomeration auftrat, allerdings nur uber nationale Grenzen hinweg. Eine n...

Variety, economic growth and knowledge intensity of European regions: a spatial panel analysis

“…To measure specialization (Spec it ), we followed Cutrini (2010) and computed the Theil index. This measure is an entropy index for measuring dissimilarity, which we can interpret as an overall indication of regional relative specialization.…”

Cross-national Neighbouring Effects on European Regional Specialization

“…European regional specialization patterns have previously been explored in the regional analysis literature (Molle, 1996;Hallet, 2002;Ezcurra et al, 2006;Mora et al, 2006;Cutrini, 2010;Mora & Moreno, 2010). Various inequality indices and alternative econometric strategies (cross-section, panel data and spatial econometrics) have been used in the process.…”

Concentration of Economic Activity: An Analytical Framework

“…In other words, in measuring concentration in the manufacturing industry, the benchmark considered is outside that industry. Others have proposed instead the use of the average concentration of the sectors involved, making use of an external benchmark unnecessary (AIGINGER and DAVIS, 2004;MULLIGAN and SCHMIDT, 2005;CUTRINI, 2009CUTRINI, , 2010. However, as far as we know, there has been no debate on overall concentration measurement in terms of basic properties.…”

“…This set-up allows us to characterize the GE family of concentration indexes of a sector (BRÜLHART and TRAEGER, 2005) and show the properties of the aggregate concentration index, the Lindex (CUTRINI, 2009(CUTRINI, , 2010, resulting from the weighted sum of the one of them (the Theil index). For that purpose, some properties borrowed from the literature on income inequality and segregation are adapted to our context (ALONSO-VILLAR and DEL RÍO, 2010a;FRANKEL and VOLIJ, 2010).…”