A spatial-temporal study of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by type: exploring localization economies implications in urban areas in Ontario

Objectives This study adds to the geography of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) literature by comparing the spatial-temporal patterns of five types of CAM within 19 cities in light of clustering benefits from localization economies. Methods CAM office location points and nearest neighbour, standard distance, local spatial autocorrelation, and Mann–Whitney analyses are utilized to test potential clustering tendencies of CAM types over time. Results It is shown that ‘within’ (chiropractors near chiropractors, for example) and ‘amongst’ (chiropractors proximate to other CAM types) spatial clustering occurs in 2007 and 2017. This implies the persistent influence of localization economies. Conclusions Continued clustering of CAM within urban locations already replete with CAM offices will widen spatial disparities through time. This has implications for policy-makers concerned with dispersing medical resources over space for better accessibility.

KONSENTRASI SPASIAL, AGLOMERASI DAN PRODUKTIVITAS PERUSAHAAN INDUSTRI MANUFAKTUR INDONESIA

This study aims to analyze the impact of agglomeration in the form of localization economies and urbanization economies on the productivity of manufacturing industrial companies in Indonesia. Unlike previous studies, this study will look at the effect of technology level on the relationship between productivity and agglomeration by classifying research samples into low-tech and high-tech industries. In addition, this study also improves the estimation technique by addressing the endogeneity problem that has the potential to arise in estimating the relationship between productivity and agglomeration to be overcome by using instrument variable (IV). The study was conducted in two stages of estimation using company-level panel data from 2010 to 2014. First, productivity was measured at the company level using Total Factor Productivity (TFP). Then, the company productivity is estimated together with the company and industry characteristic variables, including the agglomeration measurement variable which represents localization economies and urbanization economies. The regression results show a positive impact from localization economies and a negative impact from urbanization economies.AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis dampak aglomerasi berupa localization economies dan urbanization economies terhadap produktivitas perusahaan industri manufaktur di Indonesia. Berbeda dengan penelitian terdahulu yang juga meneliti dampak aglomerasi industri terhadap produktivitas perusahaan, pada penelitian ini akan melihat pengaruh tingkat teknologi terhadap hubungan produktivitas dan aglomerasi dengan mengklasifikasikan sampel penelitian ke dalam industri berteknologi rendah dan industri berteknologi tinggi. Selain itu, peneltian ini juga memperbaiki teknik estimasi dari penelitian sebelumnya dengan menangani masalah endogenitas yang berpotensi muncul dalam mengestimasi hubungan produktivitas dan aglomerasi akan diatasi dengan penggunaan instrument variable (IV). Penelitian dilakukan dalam dua tahap estimasi dengan menggunakan data panel level perusahaan dari tahun 2010 sampai 2014. Pertama, produktivitas diukur pada level perusahaan dengan menggunakan Total Factor Productivity (TFP). Kemudian, produktivitas perusahaan diestimasi bersama variabel karakteristik perusahaan dan industri, termasuk variabel pengukuran aglomerasi yang mewakili localization economies dan urbanization economies. Hasil regresi menunjukkan adanya dampak positif dari localization economies dan dampak negatif dari urbanization economies.

Regional Disparities in Turkey: A Socio-Economic Perspective

Economic development, for any country, is one of the most important objectives to be achieved. However, development cannot be realized in all regions and provinces of a county at the same time and speed. Turkey also struggles against a persistent economic development problem among regions in east-west and coast-inland for many years. This study aims to analyze the regional inequalities in Turkey under the scope of economic, demographic and social indicators from 2007 to the latest data. The results indicate that TR-10 Istanbul is the engine region of Turkey in terms of industrialization and development with the highest contribution (31%) based on service and industry sectors, to the gross value added. Other industrialized regions are the Aegean region where localization economies mainly dominated and the East Marmara and TR51-Ankara regions where urbanization economies operated in. Agricultural activities heavily concentrated in Aegean, Antalya, Konya and Şanlıurfa regions. In these regions, participation in the labour market is also very high. However, the highest income inequality and poverty is also found in TR10, TR62 and TR21 regions. The less developed region is the Southeast Anatolian region in terms of low income, education, health and high unemployment, young population and immigration rates. Keywords: Regional disparities, regional development, socio-economic indicators, Turkey

THE DETERMINANTS OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN THE GREEK REGIONS

This study investigates the determinants of FDI in the Greek regions. The aim of the study is to understand whether and to what extent the presence of localization economies in the Greek regions, has an impact on FDI locational decisions. We use a pooled cross-section dataset of FDI stock and we study the effect of localization economies and of other basic determinants, on the attraction of FDI. We find the most significant influences to be market size, human capital, geographic position and the presence of localization economies.

Spinoffs or startups? The effects of spatial agglomeration

Despite the fact that spinoffs and geographical clustering are highly intertwined phenomena, to date no study analyzes how spatial agglomerations forces might affect the emergence of spinoffs relative to other startups. Using a sample of 3456 Italian manufacturing new ventures founded in the period 2005–2007, we investigate the effects of different forms of agglomeration forces on the likelihood of a new venture emerging as a spinoff rather than a startup. Our results show that industry-specific localization economies (captured by industrial district dummy and the number of incumbents at local level) tend to increase the chances of a new venture to emerge as a spinoff. Moreover, local-related variety has a positive and significant effect on the likelihood of a new venture to emerge as a spinoff, especially for those spinoffs from successful parents.

A green transition in South Africa? Sociotechnical experimentation in the Atlantis Special Economic Zone

South Africa faces interconnected challenges of developing and diversifying its economy and adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change. A green policy tilt is ascendant in the country, manifest in a cascading array of policies and special initiatives. Utilising concepts from the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions, we assess Africa's first designated Green Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Atlantis SEZ (ASEZ) in the Western Cape, a niche innovation aimed at transforming the Province's industrial base. This initiative is very ambitious in four respects: (1) it links green SEZ development in a deprived metropolitan area to the broader regional economy; (2) it utilises an innovative governance structure; (3) it promises localization economies and export potential; and (4) it connects SEZ niche experimentation with emergent renewable energy regimes. While elements are in place which might seed a sociotechnical transition, societal and political forces (i.e. landscape features) continue to limit its realisation, highlighting the immanent, structural realities shaping South Africa's economic futures.

Agglomeration Economies: An Analysis of the Determinants of Employment in the Cities of Ecuador

The objective of this investigation is to study the role of agglomeration economies (manufacturing) in urban employment growth, as a proxy for economic growth, between 1980 and 2010 in Ecuador. The three measures of agglomeration-specialization, diversity, and density-are tested to determine their effect on employment growth in industries. The empirical analysis is based on firm- and city-level data from manufacturing activities. A model is proposed to estimate the effect of agglomeration economies on the growth of employment and a regression is conducted using instrumental variables. In particular, the two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimator is used. We conclude that localization economies measured by a specialization index have a positive impact on the growth of employment in the period analyzed. The results are similar to those obtained by other work carried out both in developed and developing countries.

CITY SIZE, LABOR PRODUCTIVITY AND WAGES IN KOREA

This study attempts to derive policy implications for spatially-balanced growth through empirical analysis on determinants of regional wage gaps in Korea. Combes et al. [(2008) Spatial wage disparities: Sorting Matters. Journal of Urban Economics, 63, 723–742] suggest that regional wage gaps result from the regional differences in workers’ human capital, nonhuman endowments, and agglomeration economies. The current study applies a similar two-stage estimation model to the 2006 cross-sectional data for 4009 workers from the Korean Labor Panel Survey (KLPS) performed by the Korea Labor Institute. Localization economies are positive external effects from the geographic concentration of firms in the same industry. We find evidence of localization economies in our research. The second stage estimation results for the determinants of regional wage gaps show that the average wage is higher in areas that concentrate in a small number of industries rather than in areas that are diversified with many industries. This result is in direct contrast to the findings from Combes et al. [(2008) Spatial wage disparities: Sorting Matters. Journal of Urban Economics, 63, 723–742] who analyze the French labor market data. This difference can be explained by the possibility that in Korea the improved quality of life (e.g., better education services) and/or the increase in job mobility in large diversified metropolitan areas induce workers to accept relatively lower wages in those areas. In order to resolve the bias in the estimation of the agglomeration effects caused by the heterogeneity of workers, we also performed panel regressions of the 2nd 2000 and the 7th 2005 KLPS panel data of 7431 observations. The panel regression results also support our original findings from regressions of the 8th 2006 KLPS data.