This paper studies the effect of institutions on trade flows, using a gravity modelapproach. We start from a standard gravity equation that incorporates geographical proximity,language, trade policy and common history. These factors reflect the costs of trade acrossgeographical and cultural...

This paper reviews the empirical literature on growth and convergence that has addressed the importance of spatial factors. An important distinction in this literature is the one between absolute and relative location. The literature on absolute location predominantly uses non-spatial...

To serve foreign markets, firms can either export or set up a local subsidiary through horizontal Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The conventional proximity-concentration theory suggests that FDI substitutes for trade if distance between countries is large, while exports become more important...

This paper reports the results of a stated preference study investigating the Willingness-to-pay (WTP) of employees at the Amsterdam Zuidas for the presence of non-shopping and shopping facilities. The Amsterdam Zuidas area, surrounding the current train-metro-tram station Amsterdam Zuid...

Formal trade barriers and transport costs explain only part of the resistance to international trade. Search costs on the international market and insecurity of property rights and contract enforcement have recently been emphasized as important intangible barriers to trade. This paper proposes...

This paper uses a new dataset derived from a consistent framework of national accounts to compute and evaluate energy intensity developments across 18 OECD countries and 50 sectors over the period 1970-2005. We find that across countries energy intensity levels tend to increase in a fairly wide...

Existing indices measuring the spatial distribution of economic activity such as the Krugman Specialisation Index, the Hirschmann-Herfindahl index and the Ellison-Glaeser index typically do not take into account the spatial structure of the data. In this paper, we first consider traditional...

This paper employs a unique set of micro-data covering almost one third of the Dutch labor force, to estimate the relationship between agglomeration externalities and the level of education. While the positive relationship between economic density and productivity and wages has long been...

The Amsterdam Zuidas area is planned to become a large multi-functional development area with a mix of offices, dwellings and facilities. As part of a broader empirical investigation, the valuation of multi-functional land use of this mega-project by a specific class of stakeholders, namely,...

De ruimtelijke verdeling van locatie- en agglomeratievoordelen voor verschillende bedrijfsklassen in de industrie en de dienstverlening staat in toenemende mate in de belangstelling. Deze belangstelling, gevoed door theorieen over endogene economische groei, regionale ontwikkeling en de Nieuwe...