Which of Germanys regions is the most attractive? Where is it best to live and work - on objective grounds? These questions are summed up in the concept quality of life. This paper uses recent research projects that determine this parameter to examine the spatial distribution of quality of life...

The paper emphasizes the role of social capital in some particular rural clusters like the French "Poles d'Excellence Rurale" (PER) and the U.S. Rural Knowledge Clusters (RKC). The recent revival of the literature on social capital considers this resource as highly valuable when considering the...

In this paper we estimate agglomeration economies in Spain in 2009 basing on Ciccone?s (2002) model, which explains average labor productivity in one spatial unit on employment density and other controls. The novelty of our analysis is that the empirical model is estimated at a highly...

Industries necessarily differ with respect to their type of geographical concentration. When some industries are overrepresented in urban areas (urban concentration), then some other industries must be overrepresented in rural areas (rural concentration). Unfortunately, the existing measures of...

Using a panel data model, we study the effects of regional and industry-level traits on new business formation (NBF) for 164 industries across 266 Chinese prefectures between 1998 and 2007. The objective is to provide empirical estimates on effects of prefecture traits on entry rates, and in...

This study examines the degree to which creative industries fit regional economic settings in the developing world. In so doing, we examine the characteristics of regions where clusters of these industries are found, particularly in Indonesia. Our findings show that creative industries develop...

The business performance of firms in the creative high-tech sector shows much variation. This paper examines whether the geographical location of such business firms influences the performance of these firms. The overarching analysis framework of this paper emerges from the recently developed...

There has been vast interest in the distribution of city sizes in an economy, but this research has largely neglected that cities also diff er along another fundamental dimension: age. Using novel data on the foundation dates of almost 8,000 American cities, we fi nd that older cities in the US...

This study introduces a new measure of urban centrality. It identifies distinct urban structures from different spatial patterns of jobs and resident population. The proposed urban centrality index constitutes an extension to the spatial separation index (MIDELFART-KNARVIK et al., 2000). It is...

The economy of Paraíba has changed is productive and social structure. This paper aims to describe this process highlighting the recent economic changes and its relationship with regional and national economy. The demographic and productive structures demonstrate the possible internal...