Suchergebnisse

Different regions are endowed with production factors and characteristics that offer different opportunities for specialization, which can be transform to a regional comparative advantage. Many outlying regions (peripheral regions) suffer from a high rate of unemployment, low level of per capita income and net out migration. Outlying areas attract less investment in comparison to central regions. This is because of the low marginal productivity of factors of production in the outlying areas. In order to alleviate these hardships, inflicted on outlying regions, central governments often devise incentive and investment programs whose main objective is to reduce the gap between regions in the country and thus reduce regional inequalities. To attract high tech industries to outlaying regions is now in vogue. In reality we observe a distinct geographical distribution between centers of R&D and large mass production plants. This is due primarily to agglomeration economies and industrial cluster in central regions. Mass production, because of their needs for a large number of relatively unskilled labors gravitates towards the edge of Metropolitan regions and the outlying areas. But then their contribution to the wellbeing of the population in these regions is limited. Public/private investment in large scale facilities (or infrastructures), like highways and railways, Technological Incubators, R&D Centers, universities and hospitals, are among the projects proposed in order to facilitates economic growth in outlying areas. However investing in these projects is not necessarily the panacea for outlaying areas. Because of scarce resources it is paramount to select the most cost-effective program which will take into account the profile of the region under consideration, its natural endowments, and the administrative and political structure of the local government and its ability, together with the region's population, to turn the chosen program to a success. In this paper we critically discuss the spatial implications of selected public investment programs design to facilitate the development of peripheral regions.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Figures, Tables and Maps -- Contributors -- Preface -- 1 Spatial Consequences of Structural Change -- Part A: Spatial Aspects of Innovation and Knowledge Production -- 2 Local Opportunities and Innovative Behaviour: A Meta-Analytic Study of European Cities -- 3 An Evolutionary Approach to Firm Dynamics: Adaptation and Path Dependency -- 4 Agglomeration and Industrial Innovation in Space: An Empirical Analysis -- 5 Expenditure and Knowledge based Regional Impacts Associated with a University: Some Empirical Evidence -- Part B: Tourism, Infrastructure and Regional Development -- 6 Incentive Programs for Rural Tourism in Israel: A Tool for Promoting Rural Development -- 7 The Economic Impact of Tourism in Israel: A Multiregional Input-Output Analysis -- 8 The Impact of Road Infrastructure on Productivity, Employment and Regional Inequalities in Europe -- 9 Transport Infrastructure Investments and Regional Development: Literature Review -- Part C: Regional Development: Modelling and Policy -- 10 Employment Forecasting in Fryslân in the Age of Economic Structural Changes -- 11 The Spatial Distribution of Employment in the European Union: 1950-1990 -- 12 Economic Dynamics in the Randstad Holland: Do Agglomeration Economies still Exist? -- 13 Conclusion: Structural Economic Change and Regional Development

The article describes the use of the Delphi Method in setting priorities in the provision of a public service. Hereby account has been taken of group values, cost-benefit factors and the views of exports and residents. (DSE)