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Presents a 50-year overview of the production and dissemination of the articles published in "Papers in Regional Science" as of 2004. Historical background on the development of the journal; Concept and contents of the golden anniversary issue of the journal; Developments in the field of regional science.

The Regional Science Association was founded 50 years ago in December 1954; however,the institutional origins of the field were much earlier, perhaps when Walter Isard began his graduate studies in economics at Harvard University. This article briefly traces the history of the field of regional science and its association from those beginnings to the present. The focus of the article is the evolution of the association as an institution, and some of its major contributors, and to a much lesser extent, on the scope and scholarly content of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the plans of the Regional Science Association in the U.S. to organize a year-long celebration for its 50th anniversary in 2004. Focus of the conference sessions being planned by the association; Advantage of the journal "Papers in Regional Science" over other regional science journals; Topics included in the golden anniversary issue of the journal.

This paper tests the hypothesis that social networks are crucial for regional recruitment and inflows of foreign labour. New survey data on 971 firms located in Region Southern Denmark show that the predominant recruitment method of foreign labour was through networks. Danish municipal data from 1997-2006 furthermore reveal spatial sorting since initial shares of employees with a foreign background out of total regional employment predict foreign labour inflow rates to regional employment. Thus, social networks appear crucial for the recruitment and inflows of foreign labour, suggesting that employee referrals and information about vacancies in local job markets are also important for foreign labour. Resumen Este artículo pone a prueba la hipótesis de que las redes sociales son cruciales para la contratación regional y los flujos de mano de obra extranjera. Nuevos datos de una encuesta sobre 971 empresas ubicadas en la Región de Dinamarca Meridional muestran que el método de contratación predominante de mano de obra extranjera fue a través de redes. Datos municipales daneses de 1997-2006 revelan además una clasificación espacial, ya que las cuotas iniciales de empleados de origen extranjero respecto del empleo regional total predicen tasas de afluencia de mano de obra extranjera para el empleo regional. Por tanto, las redes sociales parecen ser cruciales para el reclutamiento y la afluencia de mano de obra extranjera, lo cual sugiere que las referencias de los empleados y la información sobre ofertas de empleo en los mercados laborales locales son también importantes para la mano de obra extranjera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses estimation methods for models including an endogenous spatial lag, additional endogenous variables due to system feedback and an autoregressive or a moving average error process. It extends Kelejian and Prucha's, and Fingleton and Le Gallo's feasible generalized spatial two-stage least squares estimators and also considers HAC estimation in a spatial framework as suggested by Kelejian and Prucha. An empirical example using real estate data illustrating the different estimators is proposed. The finite sample properties of the estimators are finally investigated by means of Monte Carlo simulation. Resumen. Este artículo discute métodos de estimación para modelos incluyendo un intervalo espacial endógeno, variables endógenas adicionales debido a retroalimentación del sistema y un proceso autorregresivo o uno de error de media móvil. Amplia Kelejian y Prucha's, y los estimadores de mínimos cuadrados bietápicos espaciales generalizados factibles de Fingleton y Le Gallo y considera también la estimación HAC en un marco espacial tal y como sugieren Kelejian y Prucha. Proponemos un ejemplo empírico utilizando datos de bienes inmuebles ilustrando los diferentes estimadores. Las propiedades en muestras finitas de los estimadores se estudian finalmente mediante simulación de Monte Carlo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport costs have always been an important dimension in regional science. It is therefore remarkable that regional science and transport economics have developed in a rather unconnected way. Although being distinct, the routes of the two were parallel, and there are signs that the two fields will get closer to each other. This paper further discusses long run trends in transport costs and the potential spatial consequences. The main conclusion is that although in terms of money and time, the performance of transport has improved enormously, many economic activities have not become footloose to the extent as expressed by the notion of 'death of distance'. One of the reasons discussed is the role of transaction costs, some being clearly related with distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I give a personal view on the development of the field of spatial econometrics during the past 30 years. I argue that it has moved from the margins to the mainstream of applied econometrics and social science methodology. I distinguish three broad phases in the development, which I refer to as preconditions, take off and maturity. For each of these phases I describe the main methodological focus and list major contributions. I conclude with some speculations about future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many governments have introduced policies aimed at improving social mix, particularly in urban areas. In this article we develop a model of moving and location decisions, which demonstrates how cumulative processes of growth, decline and segregation occur that conflict with the aims of policies aimed at improving social mix. A nested multinomial logit model is estimated, using a micro data set for London and South East England to illustrate the likely outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we survey common themes in recent migration research and comment on the actual and potential contribution of regional science to this literature. There has been a marked shift in research from internal to international migration. The two research programmes would benefit from a unified framework. Spatial and systemic features of migration systems remain underdeveloped. Moreover, the perspectives from the different disciplines that intersect in regional science can still be integrated better. Communication of the research findings in terms understood by policymakers and practitioners is also desirable. Finally, many new and interesting research topics will emerge when greater effort is made to link migration research with other current research topics in regional science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic disciplines evolve and regional science is no exception. Physics, French or economics changes over time but at the end of the day (or decade), they remain physics,French or economics. But regional science is different; it can take on the perspectives of geography, economics, planning, or other social sciences. At its best, perhaps regional science is a composite of these; many therefore think that the inevitable tension between these content areas and scientific and non-scientific orientations is not only healthy but is also essential. Balancing perspectives and managing tensions in a discipline where both basic and applied research is appropriate is challenging. Combine this with the fact of rapid change and increased competition for limited resources in academic institutions with regional science programmes. From this starting point it seems worthwhile to revisit how we manage regional science and position it within our universities and within our graduates' job markets. We propose a model sensitive to both the supply side and the demand side, which indicates that we proactively cultivate markets within and outside educational institutions. We discuss the need for introductory regional science courses at the undergraduate level and for programmes at the masters and Ph.D. levels that transfer existing knowledge and prepare the next generation for intellectual and technical leadership in the field of regional science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of citations to articles in regional science journals, this study identifies the most influential scholars in the field during various periods of its first-half century. It distinguishes among the pioneering generation who wrote its formative pieces, the generations who expanded its boundaries, and the current generation whose work is shaping the field and giving it direction. Useful insights into the nature of regional science flow from key facts about its intellectual leaders, including their disciplinary affiliations, periods of active research, and cited work outside the regional science journals. The article also discusses problems with the citation data and limitations of citation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews where we have come from and where we are going in research on regional growth and development. Our object of study is the region, an imprecise term that has been taken to mean areas as large as small countries or as small as urban regions, although how regions are defined does itself have implications for both theories and the empirics of regional growth. How growth occurs remains a poorly understood process. Clearly the basic ingredients of the neo-classical cookbook are important--growth in capital and labour stocks with technological change--but they are neither enough nor revealing enough. Why does the stock of capital grow at different rates? Why does the labour supply increase? What drives technical progress? What are the roots of spatial dependence? We are fairly certain that the answers to these questions embrace agglomeration economies but they also embrace much more. Innovation is associated with research and development and has an identifiable spatial pattern in relation to highly skilled labour and institutions such as universities. But innovation is not just the result of R&D but also entrepreneurship applied to investment. Labour supply responds to real wage differentials but also to environmental and other amenities. Labour is far more geographically mobile in the New World, however, than it is in the Old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theoretical framework of urban and regional economics is built on transportation costs for manufactured goods. But over the twentieth century, the costs of moving these goods have declined by over 90%in real terms, and there is little reason to doubt that this decline will continue. Moreover, technological change has eliminated the importance of fixed infrastructure transport (rail and water) that played a critical role in creating natural urban centres. In this article, we document this decline and explore several simple implications of a world where it is essentially free to move goods, but expensive to move people. We find empirical support for these implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the parallel developments in the economics of agglomeration and the economics of networks. We explore the complementarities between the productivity benefits of agglomeration and those of network linkages, arguing that networks of actors dispersed over space may substitute for agglomerations of actors at a single point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a summary of our conversation on the past, present and future of the new economic geography, which took place with the help of an interlocutor in San Juan, Puerto Rico in November 2002. Following the introduction, we explain what the new economic geography is, and we describe some basic models. The discussion of its various critical aspects is presented subsequently, and the article concludes with the discussion of future issues and challenges facing the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. This article reviews recent research about the spatial mismatch hypothesis from a range of social science disciplines. Since 1990, researchers have tested the mismatch hypothesis in diverse metropolitan settings; devised more accurate measures of geographical access to employment; and developed models to address issues such as compensating variations, sample selection bias, and contextual effects. We argue for a broader conceptualization of spatial mismatch that considers how social and spatial relations affect employment outcomes for women, immigrants, and other ethnic minorities. This broader view will enhance the contribution of research to current theoretical and policy debates about urban poverty. The effects of metropolitan context and neighborhood-level differences in services, resources, and social networks on spatial access and, independently, on wages and employment also warrant future research attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]