Employment, Transport Infrastructure, and Rural Depopulation: A New Spatial Equilibrium Model

David Philip McArthur, Inge Thorsen and Jan Ubøe
Additional contact information
David Philip McArthur: Department of Health Management and Health Economics, University of Oslo, Postboks 1089, Blindern, 0318, Oslo, Norway and Stord/Haugesund University College
Inge Thorsen: Stord/Haugesund University College, Postboks 5000, Stord, N-5409, Norway
Jan Ubøe: NHH Norwegian School of Economics, Helleveien 30, NO-5045, Bergen, Norway
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Jan Ubøe

Environment and Planning A, 2014, vol. 46, issue 7, 1652-1665

Abstract: In this paper we propose a new spatial equilibrium model, and use it to discuss issues related to rural depopulation. The discussion focuses on how investments in transport infrastructure and the spatial distribution of basic-sector jobs can promote a relatively balanced growth of peripheral and central areas of a region. Through interdependencies in individual migration decisions and an economic base multiplier mechanism, negative exogenous shocks may take a peripheral zone beyond a bifurcation point, into an equilibrium of dramatically lower population and employment. We study how the location of bifurcation points depend on spatial interaction behavioural parameters and variables subject to regional policy. We also discuss the issue of the timing of interventions intended to prevent a process of rural depopulation.

Keywords: rural depopulation; spatial equilibrium model; spatial interaction; hysteresis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/a46120 (text/html)

Related works:
Working Paper: Employment, transport infrastructure and rural depopulation: a new spatial equilibrium model (2013)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envira:v:46:y:2014:i:7:p:1652-1665

DOI: 10.1068/a46120

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Environment and Planning A
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().