Path dependence in regional structural change: implications for the EU cohesion and innovation policy

Tullio Buccellato () and Giancarlo Corò ()
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Tullio Buccellato: Economic Research Department, Confindustria
Giancarlo Corò: Department of Economics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice

No 2020:14, Working Papers from Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari"

Abstract: The key purpose of this paper is to measure the strength of regional economic fabrics based on their structure. We propose a new mapping of European regions based on structural proximity; the representation takes the shape of a network, which is also useful to define clusters of regions according to the similarity of their economic structures and, hence, in the endowment of productive competences. We show that there is a high persistence in the relative positioning of regions according to their economic structure and that this is markedly associated with patterns of economic growth and convergence. The spectrum of regional performance range from virtuous urban agglomerates characterized by the presence of advanced services, with enhanced institutional quality, endowed with efficient transport infrastructures and highly educated and productive workforce, to regions characterised by scarce service or industrial activity, sometimes with a cumbersome role of tourism-related business, with poor institutions and transport infrastructure and low endowments of human capital and productive workforce. To richer pools of productive competences are associated faster paces of economic growth. The findings of this paper suggest that place-based policies should be implemented to support territorial development in the short/medium term, but these policies can be effective for the long run growth only when they are meant to leverage on the regional pool of competences to trace trajectories of structural change.

Keywords: Resilience; economic complexity; regional disparities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L16 O10 O25 P25 R10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 24 pages
Date: 2020
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-geo, nep-sbm, nep-tid and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ven:wpaper:2020:14

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