Agglomeration and labour productivity in Spain over the long term

Cliometrica - Tập 2 - Trang 195-212 - 2007
Julio Martínez-Galarraga1, Elisenda Paluzie2, Jordi Pons2, Daniel A. Tirado-Fabregat1,3
1University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
2CAEPS, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
3Departament d’Història i Institucions Econòmiques, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Tóm tắt

This paper analyses the relationship between spatial density of economic activity and interregional differences in the productivity of industrial labour in Spain during the period 1860–1999. In the spirit of Ciccone and Hall (Am Econ Rev 86:54–70, 1996) and Ciccone (Eur Econ Rev 46:213–227, 2002), we analyse the evolution of this relationship over the long term in Spain. Using data on the period 1860–1999 we show the existence of an agglomeration effect linking the density of economic activity with labour productivity in the industry. This effect was present since the beginning of the industrialisation process in the middle of the nineteenth century but has been decreasing over time. Our results show that doubling employment density raises average labour productivity in the industrial sector by between 3 and 5% in all periods analysed, with the exception of the last segment from the twentieth century. Hence, we find significant evidence of agglomeration effects. However, these effects seem to have been falling sharply from the mid-nineteenth century until late in the twentieth century, and there appears to be no positive evidence of agglomeration effects in industry in the period 1985–1999. This result could be explained by an important increase in the congestion effects in large industrial metropolitan areas that would have compensated the centripetal or agglomeration forces at work. Furthermore, this result is also consistent with the evidence of a dispersion of industrial activity in Spain during the last decades.

Tài liệu tham khảo

BBVA (1999) Renta Nacional de España y su distribución provincial. Serie homogénea. Años 1955–1993 y Avances 1994–1999. Madrid, Fundación BBVA BBVA (2000) Renta Nacional de España y su distribución provincial. Año 1995 y 1996–1999, Madrid, Fundación BBVA Ciccone A (2002) Agglomeration effects in Europe. Eur Econ Rev 46:213–227 Ciccone A, Hall RE (1996) Productivity and the density of economic activity. Am Econ Rev 86:54–70 Combes PP, Overman HG (2004) The spatial distribution of economic activities in the European Union. In: Henderson JV, Thisse JF (eds) Handbook of regional and urban economics, vol 4. Elsevier, North Holland Crafts N, Mulatu A (2005) What explains the location of industry in Britain, 1871–1931. J Econ Geogr 5(4):499–518 Davidson DR, Mackinnon JG (1993) Estimation and inference in Econometrics. Oxford University Press, Oxford Fujita M, Krugman P, Venables AJ (1999) The spatial economy: cities, regions and international trade. MIT, Cambridge Geary F, Stark T (2002) Examining Ireland´s post famine economic growth performance. Econ J 112:919–935 Hausman JA (1978) Specification tests in Econometrics. Econometrica 46:1251–1272 Head K, Mayer T (2004) The empirics of agglomeration and trade. In: Henderson JV, Thisse JF (eds) Handbook of regional and urban economics, vol 4. Elsevier, North-Holland, pp 2609–2669 Instituto geográfico y estadístico (1903) Estadística de la emigración e inmigración de España, 1896–1900. Ministerio de Instrucción Pública y Bellas Artes, Madrid Kim S (1995) Expansion of markets and the geographic distribution of economic activities: the trends in U.S regional manufacturing structure, 1860–1987. Q J Econ 110:881–908 Kim S (1998) Economic integration and convergence: US regions, 1840–1987. J Econ Hist 58:659–683 Madrazo S (1984) El sistema de transportes en España, 1750–1850. Turner, Madrid Martinez-Galarraga J (2007) New estimates of regional GDP in Spain, 1860–1930, Working Papers in Economics, Universitat de Barcelona Mas M, Pérez E, Serrano L, Soler A and Uriel A (2002) Capital humano. Metodología y Series 1964–2001, Fundación Bancaja, INE Ministerio de trabajo, Comercio e industria (1927) Estadística de salarios y jornadas de trabajo referida al período 1914–1930, Madrid Núñez CE (1992) La fuente de la riqueza: educación y desarrollo económico en la España contemporánea. Madrid, Alianza Ottaviano G, Thisse JF (2004) Agglomeration and economic geography. In: Henderson JV, Thisse JF (eds) Handbook of regional and urban economics, vol 4. Elsevier, North-Holland, pp 2563–2608 Paluzie E, Pons J, Tirado DA (2001) Regional integration and specialization patterns in Spain. Reg Stud 35:285–296 Paluzie E, Pons J, Tirado DA (2004) The geographical concentration of industry across Spanish Regions, 1856–1995. Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft (Rev Reg Res) 24:143–160 Prados de la escosura L (2003) El Progreso Económico de España 1850–2000. Fundación BBVA, Bilbao Puga D (1999) The rise and fall of regional inequalities. Eur Econ Rev 43(2):303–334 Roses JR (2003) Why isn´t the Whole of Spain Industrialized? New Economic Geography and Early Industrialization, 1797–1910. J Econ Hist 64(4):995–1022 Sánchez-alonso B (1995) Las causas de la emigración española 1880–1930. Alianza Editorial, Madrid Silvestre J (2003) Migraciones interiores y mercado de trabajo en España, 1877–1936, tesis doctoral, Universidad de Zaragoza Tirado DA, Paluzie E, Pons J (2002) Economic integration and industrial location: the case of Spain before World War I. J Econ Geogr 2:343–363 Williamson JG (1965) Regional inequality and the process of national development: a description of the patterns. Economic Development and Cultural Change, VIII, 4, Supplement, 84 Wolf N (2007) Endowments vs. market potential: What explains the relocation of industry after the Polish reunification in 1918?. Explor Econ Hist 44:22–42