Suchergebnisse

Local economies within a country differ substantially in their economic performance and such differences might persist over long periods of time. Increasing concern with regional disparities and poverty levels have prompted a growing interest in understanding factors giving some places better conditions for enhancing performance and overcoming development challenges. In particular, researchers and policy makers have been trying to investigate the potential roles of public policy at local level. Here, the key question relates to the capability of local governments in significantly impacting their realities despite their historic, economic, social and geographical constraints. The central aim of this paper is to empirically investigate the factors influencing local development across Brazilian municipalities, emphasizing the role of local public policy. To do that we adopt spatial econometric models inspired by growth theory and by some recent development of spatial economics. Our results contribute to the identification of determinants of local economic development measured by three variables, namely employment change, income per capita change and the change in the population below the poverty line. From the empirical estimates evidence is provided regarding the factors suggested by the recent literature on growth, development and spatial economics.

This research assesses changes in the patterns of ozone and particulate concentrations and the associations of these pollutants with socioeconomic factors from 1990 to 1999 in the South Coast Air Basin of California. The results are somewhat different in 1999 than in 1990 and suggest that demographic changes, in concert with changes in emissions and resulting air pollution patterns, determine the pattern of air pollution exposure and how exposure changes over time. (JEL)

The aim of this paper is to study the dynamics of European regional per capita product over time and space. This purpose is achieved by using the recently developed methods of Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis. Using a sample of European regions over the 1980-1995 period, we find strong evidence of global and local spatial autocorrelation in per capita GDP throughout the period. The detection of clusters of high and low per capita products during the period is an indication of the persistence of spatial disparities between European regions. This analysis is finally refined by the investigation of the spatial pattern of regional growth.