Determinants of self‐employment among commuters and non‐commuters

We analyse the determinants of self‐employment and focus on the contextual environment. By distinguishing between commuters and non‐commuters we are able to analyse the influence from the work and home environment, respectively. Our results indicate a significant difference between non‐commuters and commuters in terms of the role of networks for becoming self‐employed. Our results indicate that it is the business networks where people work, rather than where they live that exerts a positive influence on the probability of becoming self‐employed. These effects are further robust over educational and occupational categories.     

The impact of government funding of poverty reduction programmes

This research evaluates the impacts on poverty rates of government funds for education, health and hospitals, and public welfare allocated to poverty reduction for counties with persistently high poverty in the Southern United States. Our analysis found that increases in education funding in a poverty hot‐spot county reduce the poverty rates of that county and its neighbouring hot‐spot counties. We also found that higher health and hospital funding in a hot‐spot county is associated with higher poverty rates in neighbouring hot‐spot counties and that public welfare funding is not effective in mitigating poverty either within or outside of poverty hot‐spots.     

(Un)related variety and employment growth at the sub‐regional level

Empirical results on the link between growth and diversity in (un)related industries proved to be highly dependent on the specific regional, temporal and econometric context. Using highly disaggregated employment data at the sub‐regional level, we find that higher employment growth in Austria is mainly linked to unrelated variety. However, in‐depth analyses by sectors and regional regimes illustrate substantial heterogeneity in the results, with services and a large number of relatively small non‐urban regions driving the overall results. Thus, our findings argue against structural policy conclusions based on assessments neglecting the specific sectoral and regional context.     

RACIAL AND ETHNIC TRENDS IN THE SUBURBANIZATION OF POVERTY IN U.S. METROPOLITAN AREAS, 1980–2010

This research examines recent trends in the suburbanization of poor non‐Latino Whites, Blacks, and Asians, and Latinos of all races in the United States. The authors find strong associations between a temporally lagged measure of suburban housing supply and poverty suburbanization during the period 2006–2010 for all groups, but these associations are largely attenuated by similarly lagged controls for suburban affordable housing and employment, as well as for other characteristics of metropolitan areas. Findings indicate that poor non‐Latino Whites and Asians have higher suburbanization rates in metropolitan areas with higher levels of suburban employment, while the suburbanization of the Black and Latino poor is more strongly related to the availability of affordable suburban housing. Increases in housing supply are associated with change in poverty suburbanization over time for Whites, Blacks, and Latinos. In addition, increases in affordable rental housing are associated with increases in the suburbanization of the Latino poor.     

Urban spatial structure,agglomeration economies,and economic growth in Barcelona: An intra‐metropolitan perspective*

This paper presents an intra‐metropolitan approach to analyse the impact of urban spatial structure on local economic growth. Focusing on the Barcelona metropolitan region (BMR) between 1986 and 2001, we estimate a municipal employment growth model in which dynamic agglomeration economies related to urban spatial structure are considered using distance to employment centres, to assess metropolitan effects, and distance‐weighted variables, to measure neighbourhood effects. The results obtained show the existence of neighbourhood specialization economies and metropolitan urbanization‐localization economies fostering local growth. All of this leads to the paper's main conclusion: urban spatial structure is important for economic growth in an intra‐metropolitan context.     

Growth,employment and the construction industry in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is a small open oil‐ and gas‐based economy that has experienced the effects of boom and bust and the associated fluctuations in income and employment. This paper focuses on the behaviour of the construction sector and its relationship to income and employment over the last three decades in this small oil‐rich economy. In the boom period the construction sector grew twice as fast as the rest of the economy. Similarly, during the recession the construction sector contracted faster than any other sector, providing proof that the multiplier operates in both directions. The correlation coefficient between construction labour productivity and per capita GDP for the period 1973–2002 was 0.70. As pertains to employment in construction per thousand population and per capita GDP, the correlation coefficient was 0.94.     

The Effect of Adolescent Neighborhood Poverty on Adult Employment

Abstract: Neighborhood environments affect the long‐term labor market success of America's urban youth. Urban poverty grew more spatially concentrated during the 1970s and 1980s as industrial economies dramatically restructured. Some policies attempted to address the problems of impoverished neighborhoods by stimulating in‐situ economic development, while others sought to geographically disperse the poor. Poverty grew less concentrated during the 1990s because of robust national economic growth and dispersal‐oriented federal policies. Before celebrating, however, the long term effects of growing up in poor neighborhoods need to be considered. We used National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) data, geocoded to census tracts, to examine the effects of neighborhood poverty rates encountered during adolescence on adult employment. Living in poor neighborhoods during adolescence carries a long‐term labor market disadvantage, caused at least in part by the limited ability to accumulate early work experience. Males appear to be more sensitive to these neighborhood effects than females.     

Experimental investigation of a self‐centering precast concrete beam‐to‐column connection with top and bottom friction energy dissipaters

The new friction material, non‐asbestos organic, and Belleville springs are applied to the friction energy dissipaters (FEDs) to improve its friction performance. The new high‐performance FEDs are placed in the top and bottom parts of the self‐centering precast concrete (SCPC) beam‐to‐column connections, which have inherently reduced residual deformation caused by posttensioned tendons, to enhance energy dissipation efficiency. Besides, the reasonable design of the connection between FEDs and backbone members makes it easy for the disassembly of all members, which significantly enhances the repair efficiency after a major earthquake. Theoretical analyses and 14 tests were performed on a full‐scale specimen, which were assembled two times, and the friction pads were replaced one time, to investigate the effects of various parameters on the performance of such FED‐SCPC beam‐to‐column connections. The influence of key design parameters on the hysteretic behaviors, such as stiffness, loss of posttensioned tendons force, self‐centering capacity, and energy dissipation capacity, has been analyzed. The test results indicate that the FED‐SCPC beam‐to‐column connections can achieve significant and reliable energy dissipation levels while maintaining self‐centering capabilities. The experimental and theoretical results can provide certain references for the seismic design and assembly of such structures.     

Job accessibility and ethnic minority employment in urban and rural areas in Taiwan

This study is an empirical exploration of the effects of job accessibility on ethnic minority employment in urban and rural areas. The urban sample is composed of Taiwanese aborigines who migrated to cities from their native locales while the rural sample is composed of aborigines who reside in aboriginal villages. Sample data are collected through questionnaire surveys conducted in 2009 and 2012. Results indicate that rural aborigines have a lower unemployment rate but less stable employment than urban aborigines. Employed rural aborigines receive slightly higher salaries and incur higher commuting cost than employed urban aborigines. However, regardless of where the aborigines live (i.e., urban or rural areas), increased job accessibility is not related to employment and employment stability, but significantly increases aboriginal salary. Moreover, improved job accessibility increases the commuting time of rural aborigines, but its effects on the commuting time of urban aborigines depend on the travel mode. Empirical evidence implies that migrating to cities can be both beneficial and fruitless for aboriginal employment, and that the effects of accessibility on the employment of Taiwanese aborigines in urban and rural areas are both similar to and different from those of non‐aborigines documented in previous studies.     

Analysis of the causality links between the growth of the construction industry and the growth of the macro‐economy in Ghana

A vibrant construction industry in a developing country, that mobilizes human and local material resources in the development and maintenance of buildings, housing and physical infrastructure, is an important means to promote increased local employment and accelerate economic growth. Ghana, a country of about 22 million people, currently has one of the fastest growing economies in West Africa. The Government of Ghana (GOG) has recently set a target of annual economic growth rate of 8% and above, up from annual growth rates of 5–6% in the past five years (2001–05). It intends to use the agricultural sector as the major vehicle for achieving such high growth rates in order for the country to reach the status of a middle income country by 2015. Surprisingly, the construction industry was left out from the list of major growth drivers of the economy. We contend that with the construction industry currently making up the third largest sector of the economy, special attention should be given to this industry as one of the main drivers of economic growth in Ghana. Therefore we conducted a study to analyse the causality links between the growth in the construction industry and the growth in the macro‐economy of Ghana, measured by the gross domestic product (GDP), to ascertain whether the construction industry can be used to lead the entire economy on a growth path. The analysis was based on a simple Granger causality test using time series data from 1968 to 2004. We showed that growth in the construction industry Granger‐caused growth in GDP, with a three‐year lag. The construction industry needs to be considered as one of the major drivers of economic growth in Ghana.     

Non‐linearities in regional growth: A non‐parametric approach

This paper analyses the determinants of regional economic growth in the European Union adopting a non‐parametric approach. Although the local‐linear kernel estimator applied does not explicitly take into account the spatial dimension of the data, it is found to be consistent in our context. In addition, the geographically weighted regression turns out to be less efficient. We obtain evidence of a non‐linear relationship between regional growth and its determinants in the form of parameter heterogeneity and threshold effects. These non‐linearities mainly affect the initial productivity of labour, the human capital endowment and, as a novelty, the level of infrastructures.     

Black‐White Income Inequality and Metropolitan Socioeconomic Structure

Abstract We draw on leading theories about the structural causes of racial inequality in the US to investigate inter‐metropolitan differences in white and black per capita income. The analysis, which is based on a sample of 112 metropolitan areas and uses 1990 census data, examines the influence of spatial, economic, and demographic factors on black‐white income inequality. Our results show severe income inequality between blacks and whites in most metropolitan areas, with black per capita income being 55% of white per capita income, on average. We find that racial educational inequality and unemployment differences were the strongest predictors of racially based income inequality. We also find that metropolitan areas that are highly ranked on a business and financial dominance hierarchy have the most interracial income inequality. However, when a metropolitan area has a high level of manufacturing employment vis‐a‐vis low service employment it has less income inequality. We discuss the implications of these and other findings for theories about, and public policy regarding, urban inequality.     

Are there useful yardsticks of population size and income level for building metro systems? Some worldwide evidence

Although metro systems have been recognized as a sustainable transport mode, they are financially risky investment projects in light of the high capital and operating costs. This paper attempts to examine the socio-economic yardsticks commonly used for evaluating the readiness of cities in building metros, and to analyze how these socio-economic indicators changed before and after their construction. Specifically, the socio-economic indicators are population size and income level. Data of 60 metro lines in 21 cities on different continents were pooled for the analysis. The results suggest that the commonly-adopted population yardstick is still generally applicable but the income yardstick needs to be changed. After analyzing the population and income changes for the 10-year periods before and after the opening of the metro lines, it was found that the building of metros was usually preceded by a period of sustained high population and income growth. However, the rates of population and income growth would tend to decrease after the completion of the metros.     

Explaining inter‐provincial migration in China

China's growth has led to massive flows of migrants. To analyse the determinants of inter‐provincial migration hypotheses from the classical migration theory, the new economic geography, gravity approach, and the new economics of labour migration have been derived. All traditional assumptions could be confirmed. Inter‐provincial differentials of urban poverty and differentials in inequality do matter. Inequality is regarded as opportunity and motivation to move. The analysis of push‐pull factors of gross migration suggests that pull factors are average wages, unemployment rates, urbanization and income disparity. Urban poverty can be regarded as a counter‐pull factor. Rural poverty and average wage are push factors.     

A Bayesian space‐time approach to identifying and interpreting regional convergence clubs in Europe

This study suggests a two‐step approach to identifying and interpreting regional convergence clubs in Europe. The first step calculates Bayesian probabilities for various assignments of regions to two clubs using a general stochastic space‐time dynamic panel relationship between growth rates and initial levels of income as well as endowments of physical, knowledge and human capital. The second step uses the club assignments in a dynamic space‐time panel data model to assess long‐run dynamic direct and spillover responses of regional income levels to changes in initial period endowments for clubs that were identified. We find different dynamic partial derivative responses to endowments by regions in the two clubs that appear consistent with low‐ and high‐income regions as clubs.     

Scalable shift-share analysis: Novel framework and application to France

The shift-share analysis (SSA) of regional employment growth disparities aims at disentangling the effects of regional differences in industry mix and industrial competitiveness. Yet, the spatial concentration of industry is a blindspot of this approach. We generalize the SSA to encompass this salient feature of the economic geography. Besides, industry emergence and catastrophic growth events—booming or collapsing industries—are integrated in our framework. This novel method is applied to study regional disparities in manufacturing employment growth in France in a dynamic way over a 22-year period at a fine geographical level.     

Local human capital,segregation by skill,and skill‐specific employment growth*

Labour markets in most highly developed countries are marked by rising levels of segregation by skill and increasing inequality in skill‐specific employment prospects. However, analyses on regional employment growth by different skill levels are scarce and empirical evidence on the possible effects of skill segregation is lacking. By applying regional and firm‐level data for West Germany, this analysis provides new evidence for the adverse effects of skill segregation on low‐skilled employment growth. Furthermore, the findings reveal that a large share of local high‐skilled employment does not foster regional concentration of human capital, but ameliorates the employment prospects of less skilled workers. Resumen. Los mercados laborales de los países más desarrollados están marcados por un aumento en las tasas de segregación por cualificaciones y una mayor desigualdad en las perspectivas de empleo de acuerdo a talentos específicos. Sin embargo, han sido pocos los análisis de crecimiento regional del empleo realizados de acuerdo a niveles diferentes de cualificación y escasean las pruebas empíricas sobre los posibles efectos de la segregación por talentos específicos. Mediante la aplicación de datos regionales y a escala de empresa para Alemania Occidental, este análisis aporta nuevas pruebas de los efectos adversos de la segregación por talentos en el crecimiento del empleo de baja cualificación. Además, los resultados revelan que gran parte del empleo local altamente cualificado no fomenta una concentración regional de capital humano, pero mejora las perspectivas de empleo de trabajadores menos cualificados.      

Do urban casinos affect nearby neighbourhoods? Evidence from Canada

We analyse the effect of new casinos on nearby neighbourhoods using data from casinos opened in Canada between 1986?2007. We find no evidence linking casino openings to nearby population growth or changes in residents' income, composition by age, gender, marital status, and home ownership status. We find evidence of negative casino effects on the growth of housing values and rent. The effect is substantial near casinos, a nearly 8 percentage‐point loss in the growth of home values over 5 years, but has limited influence and dissipates quickly over distance. The estimated effect on housing rents is comparable in terms of standard deviation.     

Impact of Marcellus and Utica shale exploitation on Ohio,Pennsylvania, and West Virginia Regional Economies: A synthetic control analysis

We use the synthetic control method to determine the economic impact of shale exploitation on Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Estimation results are mixed. The shale development decreased the poverty rate and increased the employment growth rate in Pennsylvania and West Virginia in the short run. Top oil and gas producing counties in West Virginia also experienced short-term personal income growth due to fracking. However, most of the positive impacts disappeared a few years after the initial boom periods. The shale development did not bring significant economic benefits to Ohio. Further, shale drilling activities exert a potential long-term negative effect on population growth in all three states.     

Migration effects of Olympic siting: A pooled time series cross-sectional analysis of host regions

There has been considerable opposition to the 2002 Winter Olympics, to be held in the Salt Lake City metro area. This opposition stems primarily from fears of increased population growth due to the international attention. Proponents maintain that the Games will enhance the quality and quantity of jobs in the local economy, mitigating any undesirable impacts. This paper analyzes the experiences of past North American Olympic host regions, rather than the single case of Salt Lake City, to determine whether concerns are substantiated. Findings show that most population growth effects relate to the announcement of the Olympics rather than the actual hosting of the event. While the Olympics are likely to attract jobs to the host region, the nature of this employment growth and its effect on per-capita income are questionable. Received: October 1997 / Accepted: August 1999