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This thesis investigates the relationships between trade, specialization and growth at the regional level for Spain's Autonomous Communities. First, we test for the existence of a long-run relationship between per capita GDP and trade, for 15 Spanish Autonomous Communities between 1988 and 2004, using the cointegration methodology. In particular, we will implement several newly-developed panel unit root tests and panel cointegration tests, with a special attention to their behaviour in a small sample. Our cointegration results reject the existence of a significant relationship between GDP per capita and exports. However, we do find some evidence of a significant relationship between GDP per capita and imports. Building on these cointegration results, we then examine how the relationship between per capita GDP and trade may depend on the level of specialization or on the extent of structural change undertaken between 1988 and 2003. In particular, we investigate the pattern of cross-correlation between regions emerging from their relationship GDP-Trade, using as determinants variables expressing economic geography, specialization and the evolution of structural change. While the inclusion of specialization does not affect the significance of the cointegration tests, our empirical strategy do compile converging evidence on the importance of structural change for Spain's regional development. Finally, we explore the mapping between specialization and trade in Spain's Autonomous Communities at the industry level. Does regional specialization in a particular industry translates into a greater level of export? We estimate an equation explaining the volume of intra-European exports, including the index specialization and other determinants of trade. Overall, the econometric analysis confirms the existence of a mapping between specialization and exports. By comparison, the counterfactual relationship between specialization and imports is negative or not significant, and perhaps spurious. / La présente thèse porte sur les relations liant la croissance économique, le commerce international et la spécialisation au niveau régional au sein des Communautés Autonomes d'Espagne. En premier lieu, nous testons pour l'existence d'une relation de long-terme entre le PIB per capita et le commerce international, pour 15 Communautés Autonomes entre 1988 et 2004, en recourant à la technique de la cointégration. En particulier, nous réalisons plusieurs tests – développés récemment - de racine unitaire ou de cointégration en panel, en portant une attention particulière au problème d'échantillon temporel court ainsi qu'à la corrélation entre les régions. Les tests de cointégration rejettent l'existence d'une relation long-terme entre le PIB per capita et les exportations. Par contre, nos résultats tendent à accepter l'existence d'une relation long-terme entre le PIB per capita et les importations. A partir de ces résultats de cointégration, nous tentons ensuite d'examiner en quoi la relation long-terme entre le PIB per capita et le commerce international peut dépendre du niveau de spécialisation régionale ou de l'ampleur des changements structurels entrepris entre 1988 et 2003. En particulier, nous tentons d'expliquer la structure de la corrélation croisée existant entre les régions dans leur relation PIB-commerce international, en utilisant comme déterminants des variables mesurant la géographie économique, le niveau de spécialisation et l'évolution des changements structurels. Bien que l'inclusion de la variable de spécialisation n'affecte pas directement la signifiance de la relation de cointégration entre le PIB per capita et le commerce international, notre stratégie empirique tend à confirmer l'importance des changements structurels pour le développement de l'Espagne. Enfin, nous explorons le « mapping » entre la spécialisation et le commerce international au niveau des industries au sein des Communautés Autonomes d'Espagne. La question est de savoir à quel degré la spécialisation régionale dans une industrie se transmet-elle en un niveau plus élevé des exportations. Pour ce faire, nous estimons une équation expliquant les déterminants des exportations intra-communautaires au niveau industrie-région, dont un indice mesurant la spécialisation de la région dans cette industrie, ainsi que d'autres déterminants du commerce international. En somme, l'analyse économétrique confirme l'existence d'un « mapping » significatif entre la spécialisation et les exportations. En comparaison, la relation entre la spécialisation et les importations apparaît comme étant négative ou non significative, et peut-être même fallacieuse sur le plan économétrique.

This thesis investigates the relationships between trade, specialization and growth at the regional level for Spain's Autonomous Communities. First, we test for the existence of a long-run relationship between per capita GDP and trade, for 15 Spanish Autonomous Communities between 1988 and 2004, using the cointegration methodology. In particular, we will implement several newly-developed panel unit root tests and panel cointegration tests, with a special attention to their behaviour in a small sample. Our cointegration results reject the existence of a significant relationship between GDP per capita and exports. However, we do find some evidence of a significant relationship between GDP per capita and imports. Building on these cointegration results, we then examine how the relationship between per capita GDP and trade may depend on the level of specialization or on the extent of structural change undertaken between 1988 and 2003. In particular, we investigate the pattern of cross-correlation between regions emerging from their relationship GDP-Trade, using as determinants variables expressing economic geography, specialization and the evolution of structural change. While the inclusion of specialization does not affect the significance of the cointegration tests, our empirical strategy do compile converging evidence on the importance of structural change for Spain's regional development. Finally, we explore the mapping between specialization and trade in Spain's Autonomous Communities at the industry level. Does regional specialization in a particular industry translates into a greater level of export? We estimate an equation explaining the volume of intra-European exports, including the index specialization and other determinants of trade. Overall, the econometric analysis confirms the existence of a mapping between specialization and exports. By comparison, the counterfactual relationship between specialization and imports is negative or not significant, and perhaps spurious. / La présente thèse porte sur les relations liant la croissance économique, le commerce international et la spécialisation au niveau régional au sein des Communautés Autonomes d'Espagne. En premier lieu, nous testons pour l'existence d'une relation de long-terme entre le PIB per capita et le commerce international, pour 15 Communautés Autonomes entre 1988 et 2004, en recourant à la technique de la cointégration. En particulier, nous réalisons plusieurs tests – développés récemment - de racine unitaire ou de cointégration en panel, en portant une attention particulière au problème d'échantillon temporel court ainsi qu'à la corrélation entre les régions. Les tests de cointégration rejettent l'existence d'une relation long-terme entre le PIB per capita et les exportations. Par contre, nos résultats tendent à accepter l'existence d'une relation long-terme entre le PIB per capita et les importations. A partir de ces résultats de cointégration, nous tentons ensuite d'examiner en quoi la relation long-terme entre le PIB per capita et le commerce international peut dépendre du niveau de spécialisation régionale ou de l'ampleur des changements structurels entrepris entre 1988 et 2003. En particulier, nous tentons d'expliquer la structure de la corrélation croisée existant entre les régions dans leur relation PIB-commerce international, en utilisant comme déterminants des variables mesurant la géographie économique, le niveau de spécialisation et l'évolution des changements structurels. Bien que l'inclusion de la variable de spécialisation n'affecte pas directement la signifiance de la relation de cointégration entre le PIB per capita et le commerce international, notre stratégie empirique tend à confirmer l'importance des changements structurels pour le développement de l'Espagne. Enfin, nous explorons le « mapping » entre la spécialisation et le commerce international au niveau des industries au sein des Communautés Autonomes d'Espagne. La question est de savoir à quel degré la spécialisation régionale dans une industrie se transmet-elle en un niveau plus élevé des exportations. Pour ce faire, nous estimons une équation expliquant les déterminants des exportations intra-communautaires au niveau industrie-région, dont un indice mesurant la spécialisation de la région dans cette industrie, ainsi que d'autres déterminants du commerce international. En somme, l'analyse économétrique confirme l'existence d'un « mapping » significatif entre la spécialisation et les exportations. En comparaison, la relation entre la spécialisation et les importations apparaît comme étant négative ou non significative, et peut-être même fallacieuse sur le plan économétrique.

This research aims to contribute to a better understanding of the small firm sector’s role in bringing about employment growth at the community level. The study begins by focusing on the new prominence of the small firm and the reasons for this. Part of this new prominence relates to the apparent ability of the small firm sector to generate a disproportionately large number of jobs when compared to the large firm sector. This ability has in turn led to speculation that small firms could play an important role in regional development. However, the literature reporting on small firms and the literature reporting on changes in the economy send mixed signals with respect to the potential of the small firm sector as an instrument of regional development. As a result, it is relevant to ask whether small firms can lead recovery in communities recently depleted by above average employment losses. In seeking an answer to this question the research focuses on Great Britain. There are several reasons for this choice. First, since the 1980s many researchers in Great Britain have studied the small firm sector; as a result, there is a substantial knowledge base including a sound understanding of the environmental factors that influence rates of new firm formation. Second, Great Britain has simultaneously experienced both growth and decline as its regional economies exhibit substantial variation; consequently, issues of regional development are important there. Third, during the 1980s the new prominence of the small firm received a considerable boost from promotion of the enterprise culture by successive Thatcher governments. Fourth, Great Britain’s small firm sector exhibited exceptional growth over the 1980s when the population of VAT registered firms increased substantially. Therefore the British experience should be an important indicator , of the potential of the small firm sector to lead recovery. Using the NOMIS data base and other sources, each community in Great Britain was classified as occupying an environment that was either most conducive, least conducive or indeterminate with respect to its influence on the rate of new firm formation. It was then shown that the majority of depleted communities in Great Britain occupied environments that were among the least conducive to new firm formation. Consequently, for the majority of Britain’s depleted communities, small firm led recovery would require a robust small firm sector that was capable of overcoming the limitations imposed by unfavorable environmental conditions. The research also showed that in recovering communities there was virtually no association between rates of firm formation and rates of net FTE employment change. This result strongly suggests that many recovering communities relied on other sources of employment change for their recoveries. An analysis of employment changes in recovering and non- recovering depleted communities revealed the very important role played by the manufacturing sector. In recovering communities the manufacturing sector acted as a "stabilizer" which made it possible for the contributions of new small firms to be observed. Together these findings suggest that in communities experiencing substantial losses m manufacturing employment, government policies which are intended to stimulate recovery by emphasizing entrepreneurship would be more effective if at least some resources were directed toward stabilizing employment in the manufacturing sector. In other words, even though new small firms created many new jobs, differences between depleted communities that recovered and depleted communities that did not recover are not well explained by variations in the number of jobs created by new small firms. Rather, the differences appear to be better accounted for by the abatement of manufacturing job losses in some communities (those that recovered) and the continuation of manufacturing job losses in others (those that did not recover)

Service industries have traditionally been viewed as secondary to, and at best supportive of, manufacturing industries. This thesis is designed to challenge this view with regard to a particular group of services, advanced producer services. It contends that this group makes both direct and indirect contributions to economic growth at urban region level by operating in two ways: firstly, by providing intermediate inputs into the production of finished products and secondly, in its own right, selling its services to clients outside of the region. This contradicts the expectations of theoretical models of urban growth such as export base theory which cast services in an entirely dependent role. Analysis of the spatial distribution of advanced producer services reveals a significant degree of regional inequality in their provision which given the contribution they make to growth has potentially serious implications for the economic regeneration of many of Britain's depressed areas.

The thesis investigates the role that sports-related tourism may play in the rejuvenation and reinvestment process for mature mass tourism destinations, specifically, it synthesises a range of material and case studies from, and seeks to contribute to tourism policy development for, various contexts in Greece. Following a review of published material inter alia on the product life cycle applied to tourism destinations, on the debates surrounding the need for new rejuvenating products to be sustainable forms of development, on the development of special interest forms of tourism, and particularly on the rise of active or sports tourism, the work considers methodologically how best to investigate the role that sport tourism is playing, or may play, in assisting to rejuvenate and differentiate mass tourism destinations and assist mass tourism-oriented economies. Seeking a comprehensive insight into the development of new forms of tourism across Greece and the potential for further sports-oriented tourism development, this research included case studies of both traditional regions of tourism concentration (e.g. Crete), and more isolated and, as yet, under-developed tourism areas (e.g. Thrace), thus contributing to further understanding the potential of sports tourism in different contexts. Empirical work in these case study locations was preceded by an in-depth review of public sector policy relating to tourism and, where relevant, to environmental and developmental policy. This included a carefully structured series of in-depth qualitative interviews with both central state policy makers (from senior decision makers, such as the Minister for Tourism, to policy implementers) and regional or local officials, who are both receivers and increasingly designers of policy. The study also benefited from access to a range of both published and unpublished material through the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTo.). A shift in policy direction towards product differentiation, harnessing sports-related tourism, was identified. New policy announcements are beginning to support the increased development of sport tourism forms, through favourable legislation and subsidies to private investors. Sports tourism increasingly recognised as having a profile capable of differentiating the tourism offer by exploiting hidden potential, whilst also helping to bring about a more sustainable development philosophy, despite some industry skepticism.

No description available.

This study explores how governments use knowledge to inform telecommunications policy-making and policy-implementation in regional development. It focuses on epistemological aspects and assumptions made within the parameters of Enlightenment thinking or the Newtonian paradigm, also known as the classical scientit1c paradigm. It argues that lmowledge formed within this paradigm, usually generated at a distance, has been individ,uated, detached, segmented and abstracted. 'Individuation' focuses on individuals and things rather than communities and processes. 'Detachment' separates the subjective mind from the objective environment to produce reliable information. 'Segmentation' produces validity of information by parsing the objective environment from its social and historical context. 'Abstraction' allows objectivity and systematisation of information. When used to inform policy, such knowledge creates a narrow 'standardising gaze' that 'disciplines' communities to conform to dominant social behaviour and beliefs. Case studies are used to demonstrate that the two major models of development, as products ofthis paradigm, employ this gaze rendering replicability difficult ifnot impossible. These models are the top-down and bottom-up approach that are epitomised by the Silicon Valley model and telecentre moveluent respectively. How this gaze inhibits/facilitates development in policy implementation is then examined in the Goldfields Esperance region in Western Australia. An holistic approach using cotnplex adaptive systems is used to understand the multidisciplinary aspects involved in development. This is combined with action research, a reflexive methodology. Action research has the ability to access local knowledge to provide data and evaluation in situ rather than on a post hoc basis. The findings demonstrate that complex systems analysis and action research provide a modus operandi that: a) recognises the interplay of various factors (such as power relations, economic cycle, social and political institutions) at different levels of the system; b) recognises time, context and path-dependence of regional development; c) provides a filter that minimises the 'standardising gaze' and d) gives an access to knowledge and insight to local issues, which can facilitate policy implementation of development that is sympathetic to regional communities.

Strategy offers regional stakeholders an opportunity to collaboratively influence the future direction of their region’s economy. However, limited research has been undertaken with respect to strategy processes that are being used by regional economic development organisations. While there are suggestions for the ideal content of regional economic development strategies, the processes by which these organisations develop and implement strategy have not been investigated. This thesis documents an exploratory research project that utilises a case study methodology to identify and consider the processes applied in three different regional economic development organisations. In order to appreciate the context of regional strategy development, theory on regions, collaboration and strategy is integrated to develop a detailed theoretical framework of twenty seven elements that are thought to contribute to implementation. The presence or absence of these elements in each of the three cases is explored deductively through a review of internal documents and semi-structured interviews with a mix of regional stakeholders. Elements are investigated within cases to understand how strategy is being applied within each particular context. Analysis across cases is documented, identifying both similarities and differences in the presence and absence of elements. The research found that relationships were important to the continuing future of the organisations. Long term planning was absent in all cases and this absence was attributed to contextual factors such as a dynamic external environment, and a dependence on government funding leading to short term planning cycles. There was also a lack of clarity regarding organisational goals. The processes utilised in all cases most closely matched Mintzberg and Waters’ (1998) umbrella strategy, however, all organisations lacked a strategic approach. A tentative model was developed to depict elements thought to be the most significant to collaborative regional strategy implementation. These elements are: leadership on strategic planning; good member to member relationships; realism; long term goals; performance measures tied to long term goals; ongoing review and updating of the strategic plan; relevance of the strategic plan; and consistency of activities with the strategic plan. The need for further research to investigate these potential relationships was indicated.