Economic Geography (ebook)

Argumento de Economic Geography (ebook)

"Combes, Mayer, and Thisse have just given me an indispensable teaching tool and a great text for my students. Their book offers the most up-to-date, balanced, comprehensive treatment of both theoretical and empirical research."--Kiminori Matsuyama, Northwestern University

"In the field of geographical economics, this is exactly the kind of book that I have been waiting for. After presenting lucid and comprehensive coverage of the current state of theory, it provides the modern methodology for measuring spatial concentration and inequalities. Then it confronts the challenging task of comparing theory with facts. This book will serve as an ideal textbook for graduate students and scholars in economic geography, regional development, international trade, and public policy."--Masahisa Fujita, RIETI, Japan

"Economic geography has undergone something of a revolution in the last fifteen years with the application of formal theoretical modeling and econometric estimation to old questions. The many advances have, however, left us with a literature that is discursive, disparate, and disjointed. This book does an exceptional job of adding the needed structure, and helps all of us move toward a more complete and integrated understanding of this still-evolving area."--James R. Markusen, University of Colorado at Boulder

"Combes, Mayer, and Thisse have put together a marvelous book on economic geography. With clear, lucid writing, they present the theory and empirics of economic geography in a way that will provide insights to both those new to the field and those in search of an excellent reference work."--David Weinstein, Columbia University

"Combes, Mayer, and Thisse have produced the rare text that is of value to both theorists and empirical researchers. They present the current state of knowledge about economic geography in an accessible way, paying equal attention to formal models and applied work. Their framework provides an elegant synthesis of concepts in regional economics, international trade, and economic development, which will be of broad interest to scholars and policymakers alike."--Gordon Hanson, University of California, San Diego

"A welcome addition to the literature. The authors are well-known researchers in the subject both on the theoretical and empirical sides. They put heavy emphasis on recent empirical research, not only reviewing the literature but also teaching the methodologies commonly used. No existing textbook in economic geography does this. This book fills a real gap."--Philippe Martin, coauthor of Economic Geography and Public Policy

"This book is well-written, extremely clear, and very well-focused. Other books are either too advanced for anyone starting in the field or too basic to be of any use beyond basic undergraduate courses. Beyond teaching, this book should also be very useful as a reference."--Gilles Duranton, University of Toronto

"[T]he book by Combes et al. gives an excellent overview of identification, estimation, omitted variables, reverse causality, sorting and evaluation issues related to geographical economics modeling outcomes as well as urban economics and interaction modeling outcomes. Empirical researchers will appreciate the overviews given here."--Frank Van Oort, Regional Studies

"Economic Geography: The Integration of Regions and Nations is an outstanding contribution to the field. . . . Even those most familiar with the economic geography literature will emerge from reading the book challenged, engaged, and enlightened."--Donald R. Davis, Journal of International Economics

"The book delivers important insights into the theories and practices of economic geography and opens opportunities for new avenues of research, by providing extensions of the existing theoretical models which can form the basis of new applications and tests to these theories. . . . [T]his book is highly recommended for both academic and graduates."--Vítor Braga, Economic Geography Research Group0Foreword xiii
Acknowledgments xxiv

Part I: Facts and Theories 1
CHAPTER 1: Spatial Inequalities: A Brief Historical Overview 3
1.1 The Space-Economy and the Industrial Revolution 4
1.2 Regional Disparities: When an Ancient Phenomenon Becomes Measurable 12
1.3 Concluding Remarks 25

CHAPTER 2: Space in Economic Thought 26
2.1 Economics and Geography: A Puzzling History of Reciprocal Ignorance 27
2.2 Integrating Space in Economics: The Main Attempts 30
2.3 The Burden of Modeling Constraints 31
2.4 The Breakdown of the Competitive Paradigm in a Spatial Economy 35
2.5 What Are the Alternative Modeling Strategies? 41
2.6 Increasing Returns and Transport Costs: The Basic Trade-Off of Economic Geography 43
2.7 Concluding Remarks 48
Part II: Space, Trade, and Agglomeration 51

CHAPTER 3: Monopolistic Competition 53
3.1 The Dixit-Stiglitz Approach 55
3.2 Monopolistic Competition: A Linear Setting 71
3.3 Concluding Remarks 79
3.4 Related Literature 80

CHAPTER 4: Interregional Trade and Market Size 81
4.1 The Dixit-Stiglitz-Krugman Model of Trade 82
4.2 The Home-Market Effect 89
4.3 Concluding Remarks 98
4.4 Related Literature 100

CHAPTER 5: Gravity and Trade Costs 101
5.1 The Gravity Model 103
5.2 Trade Costs 115
5.3 Concluding Remarks 127
5.4 Related Literature 127

CHAPTER 6: The Core-Periphery Structure 130
6.1 Increasing Returns and Industrialization 133
6.2 Regional Disparities: The Krugman Model 137
6.3 The Krugman Model Revisited 160
6.4 Concluding Remarks 162
6.5 Related Literature 164

CHAPTER 7: Intermediate Goods and the Evolution of Regional Disparities 166
7.1 The Role of Intermediate Goods 169
7.2 The Spatial Distribution of the Manufacturing Sector 176
7.3 The Evolution of Regional Disparities 185
7.4 Concluding Remarks 191
7.5 Related Literature 192

CHAPTER 8: The Bell-Shaped Curve of Spatial Development 194
8.1 A Linear Core-Periphery Model 196
8.2 When Does the Bell-Shaped Curve Arise? 207
8.3 Concluding Remarks 221
8.4 Related Literature 222

CHAPTER 9: Spatial Competition 223
9.1 Spatial Duopoly à la Hotelling 224
9.2 Spatial Oligopoly à la Cournot 238
9.3 Concluding Remarks 250
9.4 Related Literature 251
Part III: Breadth and Determinants of Spatial Concentration 253

CHAPTER 10: Measuring Spatial Concentration 255
10.1 The Properties of an Ideal Index of Spatial Concentration 256
10.2 Spatial Concentration Indices 259
10.3 Indices Accounting for Industrial Concentration 266
10.4 The Duranton-Overman Continuous Approach 269
10.5 Concluding Remarks 274
10.6 Related Literature 274

CHAPTER 11: Determinants of Spatial Concentration and Local Productivity 276
11.1 The Determinants of Spatial Concentration 277
11.2 The Determinants of Local Productivity 283
11.3 Concluding Remarks 300
11.4 Related Literature 301

CHAPTER 12: The Empirics of Economic Geography 302
12.1 A General Framework 303
12.2 Location of Firms 307
12.3 Home-Market Effect 314
12.4 Factor Prices and Economic Geography 321
12.5 Migrations 329
12.6 The Stability of Spatial Patterns 332
12.7 Concluding Remarks 340
12.8 Related Literature 342

CHAPTER 13: Theory with Numbers 343
13.1 Predictions Based on the Dixit-Stiglitz-Krugman Model 345
13.2 Simulations in an Estimated Model of the French Space-Economy 356
13.3 Concluding Remarks 363
13.4 Related Literature 364

CHAPTER 14: Concluding Remarks 365
14.1 The Paradox of the Global Village 365
14.2 The Objective of Economic Geography 367
14.3 What Have We Learned? 368
14.4 Where Next? 374

References 379
Index 397