The Economic Development of Europe's Regions: A Quantitative History since 1900 (Routledge Explorations in Economic History)

The book is the first quantitative description of Europe's economic development at a regional level over the entire 20th century. Based on a new and comprehensive set of data, this book brings together a group of leading economic historians in order to describe and analyze the development of European regions, both for nation states and for Europe as a whole. This provides a new transnational perspective on Europe's quantitative development, offering for the first time a systematic long-run analysis of national policies independently from the use of national statistical units. The volume is distinctive in systematically going beyond the usual collection of national histories connected by some accounts of relations between nations. Instead, the book gives a panoramic view of economic development both below and above the national level. Second, the book aims at providing a comprehensive database at the level of modern NUTS-II regions for the period 1900-2010 in ten-year intervals. This will be invaluable for economic historians, economic geographers, development economists and those with an interest in economic growth. Finally, the book shows that the new transnational dimension of data allows for the analysis of national policies in a more thorough way than was ever possible before. The book therefore will be unrivalled and indispensable background reading for economists, historians and geographers interested in comparative economic development in the long-run. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of figures List of tables List of maps Notes on contributors Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Regional economic development in Europe, 1900–2010: a description of the patterns 1. Introduction 2. Data and methodology 3. Basic facts on regional economic development: density of population, employment and GDP 4. Changing employment structure: structural changeand localization 5. Growth and variation in GDP per capita 6. Explaining economic growth: adjustment and fundamentals 7. Regional rankings over time 8. Back to space: dispersion, spatial correlation and concentration over time 9. Conclusion Notes References Chapter 3.1: From empire to republic: regional inequality in Austria, 1870–2014 1. Introduction 2. The data 3. Regional inequality in the long run 4. Accounting for changing regional inequality in Austria 5. Conclusion Appendix Notes References Chapter 3.2: Changing spatial inequality in a divided country: Belgium, 1896–2010 1. Introduction 2. Unreliable official provincial GDP data before 1995 ESA? 3. Estimating provincial GDP of the 1896–1991 period 4. Long-term patterns of spatial inequality 5. The resource-based economy of the late nineteenth andearly twentieth centuries 6. The interwar period and the 1950s: decline of theresource-based economy 7. The emergence of regional policies: solution or failure? 8. Conclusion Notes References Chapter 3.3: Regional GDP in Denmark, 1850–2010 1. Introduction 2. Historical background 3. Data and estimations 4. Descriptive analysis 5. Stylized facts and analyses 6. Conclusion Notes References Chapter 3.4: Balancing east and west: evidence from Finland’s regional GDPs, 1880–2010 1. Introduction and historical background 2. Long-term pattern of regional income inequality: new data and stylized facts 3. Explanation of convergence patterns in relative GDPper capita 4. The spatial allocation of relative shares of GDP, 1880–2010 5. Discussion and concluding remarks Notes References Chapter 3.5: A long-run perspective on French regional income inequality, 1860–2010 1. Introduction 2. First nature geography of France 3. New data on the long-term patterns of French regional income inequality 4. The regional distribution of French population andeconomic activities 5. Long-run income convergence across French regions 6. Conclusions Appendix Notes References Chapter 3.6: Regional economic growth in Germany, 1895–2010 1. Introduction 2. On first nature geography: patterns of topographyand geology 3. Second nature geography: cities, infrastructure andthe location of economic activity 4. Regional GDP for German NUTS 2 regions, 1895–2010 5. Comparison to earlier studies and conclusion Appendix I: data sources Appendix II: regional GDP data Notes References Chapter 3.7: Regional income inequality in Italy in the long run (1871–2010): patterns and determinants 1. Introduction 2. The long-run evolution of Italy’s regional inequality 3. A periodization of regional inequality in Italy 4. The forces behind regional inequality in Italy 5. Conclusions Notes References Chapter 3.8: The comparative development of regions in the Netherlands, 1820–2010 1. Introduction 2. Dutch historical data sets 3. Estimation methods 4. Movements in regional structure and income across time 5. Specialization and industrial structure 6. Urban development 7. Conclusions Notes References Chapter 3.9: Regional income in Norway, 1900–2010 1. Introduction 2. Constructing a regional GDP series, 1900–2010 3. Estimates of regional GDP per capita 4. Data challenges, interpretations and robustness checks 5. Concluding comments Appendix: source list Appendix: data tables Notes References Chapter 3.10: The evolution of regional income inequality in Portugal, 1890–2010 1. Introduction 2. Long-term patterns of regional income inequality:new data and stylized facts 3. Conclusions Notes References Chapter 3.11: The evolution of regional income inequality in Spain, 1860–2010 1. Introduction 2. Long-term patterns of regional income inequality:new data and stylized facts 3. The forces behind regional inequality in Spain 4. Conclusions Notes References Chapter 3.12: Regional convergence and divergence in Sweden, 1860–2010: evidence from Swedish historical regional GDP data 1. Introduction 2. Long-term patterns of GDP inequality in Sweden 3. Conclusions Notes References Chapter 3.13: Switzerland 1. Introduction 2. Historical background 3. Results 4. Conclusion Data appendix Notes References Chapter 3.14: 150 years of regional GDP: United Kingdom and Ireland 1. Introduction 2. Estimating regional GDP: method and data 3. The structure of regional GDP, 1861–2011 4. Ireland 5. Conclusion Appendix Notes References Chapter 4: Regional inequality in the United States: long-term patterns, 1880–2010 1. Introduction 2. Methodology and data sources 3. Basic facts of regional inequalities 4. Regional inequality: determinants and causes 5. Conclusion Notes References Data appendix Index Introduction -- Regional Economic Development In Europe, 1900-2010 : A Description Of The Patterns -- From Empire To Republic: Regional Inequality In Austria, 1870-2010 -- Changing Spatial Inequality In A Divided Country: Belgium, 1896-2010 -- Regional Gdp In Denmark, 1850-2010 -- Balancing East And West: Evidence From Finland's Regional Gdps, 1880-2010 -- A Long-run Perspective On French Regional Income Inequality, 1860-2010 -- Regional Economic Growth In Germany, 1895-2010 -- Regional Income Inequality In Italy In The Long Run (1871-2010) : Patterns And Determinants -- The Comparative Development Of Region In The Netherlands, 1820-2010 -- Regional Income In Norway, 1900-2010 -- The Evolution Of Regional Income Inequality In Portugal, 1890-2010 -- Regional Convergence And Divergence In Sweden, 1860-2010: Evidence From Swedish Historical Regional Gdp Data -- Switzerland -- 150 Years Of Regional Gdp: United Kingdom And Ireland -- Regional Inequality In The United States: Long-term Patterns, 1880-2010. Edited By Joan Ramón Rosés And Nikolaus Wolf. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This book is the first quantitative description of Europe’s economic development at a regional level over the entire twentieth century. Based on a new and comprehensive set of data, it brings together a group of leading economic historians in order to describe and analyze the development of European regions, both for nation states and for Europe as a whole. This provides a new transnational perspective on Europe’s quantitative development, offering for the first time a systematic long-run analysis of national policies independent from the use of national statistical units. The new transnational dimension of data allows for the analysis of national policies in a more thorough way than ever before. The book provides a comprehensive database at the level of modern NUTS 2 regions for the period 1900–2010 in 10-year intervals, and a panoramic view of economic development both below and above the national level. It will be of great interest to economic historians, economic geographers, development economists and those with an interest in economic growth.