Regional Disparities in the Enlarged European Union

2 PM, Seminar Room, Department of Economics and Management, via Inama 5

Speaker:

• Valentina Meliciani, LUISS Roma

Abstract

The book analyzes the determinants of regional disparities in per capita GDP and their evolution over time in the enlarged European Union (EU). With reference to the literature it groups EU regions on the basis of four different factors – national borders, socio-economic features, specialization, innovation and human capital. It then analyses disparities in per capita GDP across groups over 2004-11 using both non parametric tools and traditional regression analysis with spatial effects.
The book finds that EU-wide convergence actually conceals growing divergence across old member regions and within new members. Coming to the factors that lie at the heart of regional disparities, it is shown that country factors lose importance for newcomers but become more important for older members, notwithstanding longstanding integration. Socio-economic factors and innovation instead become increasingly important for all areas, socio-economic factors lying at the heart of within-country differences and innovation more of those between regions.