Between 2003 and 2005, the German government passed an unprecedented package of labor market reforms, commonly known as the Hartz-reforms. This led to a "labor market miracle" with sharply declining unemployment rates. This paper examines these reforms at the regional level and provides a...

In this study, we employ the pairwise stochastic convergence approach to identify the pairs of NUTS2 regions for all 28 EU Member States that exhibit co-movement in their growth dynamics, over the period 1980-2018. We then use the observed stochastic convergence trajectories to assess the role...

Preface -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Neoclassical and Post-Keynesian Theories of Regional Growth and Convergence/Divergence -- 3 'Endogenous Growth Theory' and 'New Economic Geography' -- 4 Club Convergence -- 5 Empirical Measure of Regional Convergence -- 6 EU-27 Regions: Absolute or Club...

This chapter analyses the dynamics of regional disparities in the member states that joined the European Union in or after 2004, excluding Cyprus and Malta (EU11). The analysis shows that while differences between countries have been shrinking, regional disparities in GDP per capita and...