RISULTATI RICERCA

La complessità strutturale dei distretti industriali: un approccio basato sulle similarità multi-dimensionali Structural complexity in industrial districts: a multi-dimensional similarity approach. This study analyses spatial agglomerations starting from the premise that their intrinsic socio-economic complexity is a crucial factor in the shaping of local development paths. With the help of a family of artificial neural networks known as Self-organising Maps (SOM), the study obtains an original mapping of productive agglomerations in Italy, and thereby a characterization that goes beyond the notion of specialization and rests on the idea of multi-dimensional similarity in the distribution of resources.

Small Area Estimation and the Labour Market in Lombardy’s Industrial Districts: a Methodological Approach The aim of this study is to provide estimates of employment and unemployment for Lombardy’s industrial districts, which are under-represented in the Italian Labour Force Survey. The adoption of direct estimators should give rise to large standard errors owing to the small sample size of the areas investigated. The adoption of indirect estimators, which are crucially based on larger sample sizes, is a necessary step in order to produce more efficient estimations at the local area level. The results indicate that closer attention should be paid to unemployment both by introducing model-based estimations and by adopting more suitable auxiliary variables at the local area level. Keywords: Small Area Estimation, Industrial Districts JEL Classification Codes: C15, C42, R23

Productivity, Infrastructures and Convergence: Panel Data Evidence on Italian Regions Department of Statistics and Mathematics for Economic Research University of Naples Parthenope* Abstract The paper first employs the Growth Accounting methodology in order to calculate the annual levels of Total Factor Productivity (TFP) in Italian regions for the period 1970-2001. The main result of this initial analysis is that the well-known gap in labour productivity among Italian regions depends mostly on the differences in TFP. The paper then investigates on the presence (or absence) of regional convergence in TFP over the period considered. To this end, physical and social infrastructures are taken into account as factors that influence the process of convergence. Finally, the paper finds a significant effect of both types of infrastructure on regional convergence in TFP, which is estimated to occur over the whole time period at the rate of 11%. Keywords: Total Factor Productivity, Infrastructures, Regional Convergence JEL classification: O47, R11, C23

University and Industry R&D Accessibility and Regional Growth A shortcoming of traditional endogenous growth approaches is their assumption that the stock of knowledge is generally accessible across space. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the contribution of R&D to economic growth in Swedish municipalities, taking account of the variation in R&D accessibility among different municipalities. We argue that the interaction possibilities at different spatial scales can be properly represented by an accessibility approach which discounts interaction potentials using travel time distances. The main result of the analysis is that knowledge accessibility in a given period has a statistically significant effect on the growth in value-added per employee in subsequent periods. Furthermore, the knowledge resources in a given municipality tend to have a positive effect on the growth of another municipality, conditional on the municipalities belonging to the same functional region. Keywords: nowledge, economic growth, accessibility, regional, spillovers JEL classification codes: R110, O520, O300, O400

Reducing Regional Disparities by Means of Polycentric Development: Panacea or Placebo? In many territorial development strategies, both at the European and national scale, it is suggested that polycentric development is instrumental in reducing regional disparities. However, this widespread assumption lacks empirical justification, while also its theoretical base is weak. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it explores the theoretical bases of the assumed relation between a country’s urban system and regional disparities. Second, it tests the hypothesis that countries with a relatively polycentric national urban system are characterised by fewer regional disparities than are more monocentric countries. Evidence points in the opposite direction to what is generally expected: the more polycentric a country, the larger its regional disparities. This calls for critical reflection on the value of polycentric development as a concept to bring about cohesion. Keywords: Polycentric development, Regional disparities, Cohesion JEL classification codes: R11, R12, O18

Explaining within-country Regional Inequality in the European Union A Kuznetsian regional convergence process is estimated for within-country inequality in the European Union for the period 1986-1998. As a novelty, the estimation takes account of the correct functional form, because inequality measures have several properties (Anand and Kanbur, 1993a). The main finding is that development levels and within-country regional disparities show a positive relationship. National fiscal policies reduce intra-national GDPpc disparities, whereas differences in human capital evolution and improving trade competitiveness push up regional within-country inequality. Partial effects are found for the dispersion in sectorial specialization, but none for European regional aid policy. The robustness of the results is demonstrated both by correcting panel data standard errors and by using alternative inequality measures. Keywords: development level, European integration, Kuznets convergence and regional analysis JEL classification codes: O4, O52, O15

Regional Income Inequality and Convergence Processes in the EU-25 This paper deals with the development of disparities in regional per capita GDP and convergence processes in the enlarged EU. A cross-section of 861 regions is analysed for the period from 1995 to 2003. The analyses show that poorer regions mainly situated in the European periphery have tended to grow faster than the relatively rich regions in the centre of Europe. However, the convergence process has been driven mainly by national factors. In the course of this process, regional disparities within the new member countries have actually increased. Furthermore, we find that spatial growth spillovers lose relevance when crossing a national border. Thus, border impediments still matter for the intensity of economic cross-border integration in the EU. Keywords: regional inequality, convergence, EU-25, regional interactions, spatial econometrics. JEL classification codes: R11, O11, C21

This paper proposes a new framework for analysis of the determinants of regional income inequality. Using NUTS III data for the EU-27 countries in the period 1995-2004, it provides evidence that regional inequalities in the EU countries follow a pro-cyclical pattern, while spread effects appear only at advanced levels of development. Market-driven processes are found to increase inequalities, while public policies tend partly to off-set the cumulative effects of growth on space. The paper also provides evidence on the impact of EU integration, as well as the impact of structural change on regional inequalities. Its findings may have significant implications for theory and policy. Keywords: regional inequalities, convergence, growth, development JEL classification codes: R10, R11, R58