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'North of the south' or 'south of the north'? Revisiting the spatially-complex economic divide in Italy
[journal article]
Abstract The present study evaluates the economic dynamics of more than 600 local
districts in two contrasting periods (mid-1990s and mid-2000s) of the recent development
path of Italy in the light of territorial disparities between northern and southern regions. In
order to produce a multidimensional con... view more
The present study evaluates the economic dynamics of more than 600 local
districts in two contrasting periods (mid-1990s and mid-2000s) of the recent development
path of Italy in the light of territorial disparities between northern and southern regions. In
order to produce a multidimensional concept of ‘economic development’ 16 variables
(including share of agriculture and industry on total product, labour productivity by sector,
per-capita and per-worker value added) have been considered together by using
exploratory multidimensional statistics. This approach has been preferred to more
traditional procedures centred on single-variable analyses (e.g. GDP level and its changes
over time) or convergence analysis since it allowed us to debate on the increasingly
complex geography of the economic development observed in Italy and the 'newly
emerging' socioeconomic disparities among regions. Results indicate that the traditional
north-south gap has not been significantly reduced along the last ten years. Coastal-inland
and urban-rural gradients revealed as crucial especially in southern Italy, indicating the late
transition from agriculture and state-driven industry towards services producing low value
added. The persistence of the north-south divide allowed us to identify ‘changing’ and
‘structurally stable’ variables as a possible target for integrated developmental policies.... view less
Keywords
Italy; economic development (on national level); regional difference
Classification
Area Development Planning, Regional Research
Economic and Social Geography
Free Keywords
local district; exploratory data analysis; North-South divide; geographical gradient
Document language
English
Publication Year
2013
Page/Pages
p. 65-76
Journal
Journal of Urban and Regional Analysis, 5 (2013) 1
ISSN
2067-4082
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed