Regionalisation, Growth, and Economic Integration (eBook)

Preface 7
Contents 15
Part I Macroeconomic Issues of Regional Growth and Economic Integration 21
Economic Integration and Labour Markets: 22
1 Introduction 22
Ways Forward 22
2 The Impact of Economic Integration on Firm Location 24
3 Relocation of Firms and Local Wages: The Wage Curve Literature 27
4 Relocation of Workers and Local Wages: Impacts of Immigration 30
5 Adjustments, Spillovers and Regional Short-Term Forecasts 32
6 Research Agenda 34
7 References 36
An Assessment of the Integration of Eastern European Economies in the European Union 43
1 Introduction 43
2 Nominal Convergence 45
3 The Real Convergence 52
4 Concluding Remarks 55
5 References 55
Looking at the Monetary Integration: Modeling Interest Rate Transmission Dynamics in Greece. Is There any Structural Break After EMU? 57
1 Introduction 57
2 Studies on the Transmission Dynamics of Interest Rates 59
3 Data Set, Statistical Methodology and Some Preliminary Tests 60
4 The Transmission Dynamics: Findings 62
5 Conclusion 65
6 References 66
7 Tables 68
8 Figures 70
9 Appendix 75
How Harmful Is International Tax Competition? 76
1 Introduction 76
2 The Model and World Competitive Equilibrium 78
3 Choice of National Policies and General Equilibrium 81
4 Conclusions 86
5 Appendix 87
6 References 89
Part II Microeconomic Issues of Regional Growth and Economic Integration 91
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Exchange Rate Uncertainty in Imperfectly Competitive Industries 92
1 Introduction 92
2 The Model 94
3 Econometric Analysis 103
4 Conclusion 112
6 References 113
5 Acknowledgements 113
7 Appendix 114
Foreign Direct Investment: Explaining the Regional Location Determinants in South- Eastern European Countries 115
1 Introduction 115
2 Importance of FDI 116
3 Attraction Incentives of FDI 118
4 FDI Trends in South-Eastern European Countries 122
5 FDI Location Incentives and Attraction in South-Eastern European Countries 125
6 Conclusion 127
7 References 128
Starting with the Local - a Knowledge-Based Approach to Economic Integration 133
1 Introduction – Locality and Mess Encouraging “ Wickedness” into Integration 133
2 Technological Change and Economic Integration, Water Management and Agriculture in the Argolid Valley, Greece 136
3 Social Networks as Attributes of Knowledge Integration 140
4 Knowledge Archetypes and Culture as Indicators of Integrative Capability 143
5 Culture and Knowledge and Knowledge About Culture 146
6 From Know-Why to Know-When: Locating Areas of Knowledge 148
7 Barriers to Organisational Learning 152
8 Summary – Enabling Organisational Learning 154
9 References 156
Part III Policies and Institutions of Regional Integration 160
Education, Research and Regional Economic Disparities in the European Union After 2004 Enlargement: Econometric Models and Policy Challenges 161
1 Introduction 161
2 Education, Research and Development (R& D), Industry and Development in 151 EU Regions
3 Estimation of an Interregional Econometric Model for 151 European Regions 172
4 Conclusions 176
5 References 179
European Regional Convergence: Some Evidence for the Role of Information Communication Technologies 180
1 Introduction 180
2 The Regional Dimension of Growth 181
3 On Convergence 183
4 Data Issues 186
5 Estimation 191
6 Conclusion and Policy Implications 193
7 Appendix: Tables and Figures 195
8 References 207
Regional Disparities and the Effects of Innovation Activities on Regional Integration 209
1 Introduction 209
2 Regional Disparities: Regional Domestic Product (RDP), Population and Employment 210
3 The Regional Policy in European Union 218
4 The European Innovation Policy 224
5 Conclusions 233
6 References 234
Part IV Challenges and Prospects for an Integrated Europe 237
Research and Technological Development Policy and Innovative Performance: The Greek Case Within the EU 238
1 Introduction 238
2 Theoretical Framework 239
3 Methodological Background 241
4 An Overall Review of RTD Policy in Greece: 1950–2005 243
5 An Overall Review of Innovative Performance: The Case of Greece Within the EU 246
6 The European Research Area and the National Policy 254
7 Conclusions 254
8 References 257
Financial Autonomy of Local Governments: Case Studies of Finland and Poland 260
1 Introduction 260
2 Local Government Finance 263
3 Financial Autonomy of Local Governments 266
4 Conclusions 274
5 References 276
From Closed to Open Regionalism in Central America: a Preliminary Assessment of the Proposed Belize- Guatemala Free Trade Agreement 277
1 Introduction 277
2 What Is a Free Trade Agreement (FTA)? 279
3 Country Comparisons 283
4 Trade Patterns and Revealed Comparative Advantage 286
5 Discussion 289
6 Conclusion 291
7 References 292
Aspects of Regional Social Governance. Welfare Reform in the US Implications for a Global Policy Against Exclusion 294
1 Introduction 294
2 The State of Michigan Reforms 297
3 US Institutional Reforms 298
4 IDAs 299
5 Community-based IDA Programs 300
6 Conclusions 306
7 References 307
Abbreviations 308
Index 311