Investigaciones Regionales - Journal of Regional Research has published the 57th Issue, the third volume corresponding to 2023.
Below you will find the summaries of the papers published in this volume, which can be accessed at https://investigacionesregionales.org/en/revista/issue-57/
We invite authors to submit papers at https://investigacionesregionales.org/en/envio-de-articulos/submission-of-papers-and-others-contributions/
Issue 57
European Regional Policy
Marcos Aurelio Díaz Ramírez, Lukas Kleine-Rueschkamp, Paolo Veneri
Does European Cohesion Policy affect Regional Business Dynamics?
This paper assesses whether European Cohesion Policy funds from the 2007-2013 programming period affected business dynamics in European regions. Using a regression discontinuity approach, the analysis shows that regions receiving more funds experienced higher firm births, without statistically significant firm deaths, resulting in positive net firm creation and growing firm-related employment. In addition, this study confirms previous findings in the literature according to which regions receiving more funds show higher increases in gross value added per worker. Finally, funds have a significantly higher effect on net business employment creation in regions with lower levels of perceived corruption, although this is not necessarily conductive to higher levels of labour productivity in those regions.
Keywords: Regional Policy; cohesion funds; business dynamics
Articles
Mariana Bianchini Galuk, Aurora Carneiro Zen, Vitor Klein Schmidt, Bruno Anicet Bittencourt
Shared Resources and Cluster Life Cycle: A study in the footwear sector in Brazil and Italy
Clusters are considered sources of competitive advantage. A cluster is understood as a set of resources; however, it is noted that these resources vary according to their trajectory. Thus, this paper seeks to analyze the relationship between shared resources in the life cycle of the cluster. We conducted a cross-country study with two clusters in the footwear industry: Brazil and Italy. We present two main contributions. First, the competitiveness of clusters is sustained by their ability to renew and change their dependent trajectory. Second, we propose five elements that positively influence cluster competitiveness. These elements also help us understand the trajectory of clusters.
Keywords: Regional clusters; cluster life cycle; strategic resources; competitiveness; cross-country study
Francisco Cellone, Joaquín Córdoba, Lucas Bilbao, Eleonora Carol
Community Organizations for Water and Sanitation Services in rural areas of Argentina. A survey of their structure, organization, internal operation and problems and challenges in water management
The aim of this work is to carry out a survey of rural Community Organizations of Water and Sanitation Services (OCSAS) in Argentina, of the legal and institutional framework that supports them, as well as their structure, organization, and internal operations. Also, to study what are the criteria used by these organizations to define adequate water management and the problems and challenges they face. The results reflect that OCSAS territorial representation is majoritarian, while the problems they face are varied and include legal, institutional – normative, technical, quality, financial and gender aspects.
Keywords: Community Organizations of Water and Sanitation Services; Rural Water and Sanitarian Services; Rural water management
Leopoldo Cabrera Rodríguez, Felipe Rosa González
Religious Identification by Regions in Spain: Results over 394,906 individuals: 2013 to 2022
Regional studies on religiosity are non-existent in Spain and infrequent or non-existent in the Europe regional sphere, but not between countries. This article shows the regional variability in Spain of people who identify themselves as believers. It is argued that religious identification (believers) in Spain is regionally heterogeneous and that the regional effects associated with religiosity are altered by other ascriptive variables, gender, age, and educational attainment. 124 barometers have been merged, files from the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) of Spain from January 2013 to May 2022, monthly, except Augusts, obtaining a sample size of 402,868 interviewees (394,906 identify themselves as religious or non-religious).
Keywords: Religious identification; believers; regional inequality; Spain
Rosa Ferrentino, Luca Vota
A mathematical contribution to the economic growth theory. Evidence on the relationship between wages and output from the Italian regions
In this manuscript, the authors empirically assess the impact of an increase in the wage per worker on the GDP per capita of the Italian regions. To achieve this research aim, the authors carry out a panel data regression analysis, relying on an identification strategy based on the standard Neoclassical model of economic growth. The authors’ results suggest that, on average, the output effect of an increase in the wage per worker is positive, with a substantial difference between the Northern and Center-Southern regions. The authors’ policy implication is that wage moderation does not represent a remedy to the economic stagnation that the Italian regions have been experiencing since the second half of the 1990s.
Keywords: Wage-led economic growth; wage per worker; regional development; Neo-Kaleckian economics; Neoclassical economics
Juan de Lucio, Raúl Mínguez, Asier Minondo, Francisco Requena
The importance of the top exporter in regional exports
We use Spanish firm-level data over the period 1998-2018 to examine the importance of the top exporter in each province (NUTS-III) exports. We find that: (1) the top exporter in each province represents about one fifth of total exports per year; (2) it contributes significantly to province´s export growth whilst on its way towards the top position; and (3) shocks to the top exporter of a province explain the fluctuations in aggregate exports growth.
Keywords: Top exporter; export concentration; export growth; granularity; Spanish provinces
Check other articles from the issue Issue 57 or from other issues.