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Highly skilled migrants are presumably in a better position than less skilled ones to contribute to development in their countries of origin, largely by way of economic and social remittances. In this article, we use unique data on first-generation migrants in the Netherlands to test how economic and social remittances differ by skill level. We find that the highly skilled are more likely to remit, to remit larger amounts and to give advice on education, jobs and health matters. Thus, we identify the highly skilled as having a greater capacity to affect development than have migrants of other skill levels. However, nuances exist with respect to this overall result. We illustrate that the low and medium skilled also show some capacity to affect economic development and that a medium skill level is sufficient to be in a position to transfer significantly more knowledge and skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT During the past few years, the Dutch education system has been confronted with a sharp decline in the number of pupils. Especially in rural villages, inhabitants fear for the closure of their local primary school, which is perceived as a very negative development for local village life. This paper shows that the relatively sharp decline of the number of pupils in the next decade can be explained by a wavelike pattern in the past and projected number of pupils, resulting from the baby bust of the 1960s and 1970s. The relative decrease in pupils will almost be as strong in future depopulating ( Anticipeer) regions as in present day declining ( Topkrimp) regions. However, municipalities in the Topkrimp regions have many smaller primary schools which implies that they will have to deal with school mergers and closures in the near future. The paper concludes that long term effects of school closures on local society are not as devastating as often perceived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Papers in Regional Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There are two classical and opposite perspectives on the effects of information and communication technology (ICT) on spatial economic development: dispersal or concentration. In this paper we analyse the dynamics in the spatial pattern of the ICT using industries in the period 1991–2002. We conclude that particularly the urban centres and the areas just outside of these centres had a loss of their share in the ICT-related employment and that the more rural areas are catching up. There is not a general dispersal of ICT-related employment over non-central areas though, but rather an emergence of new agglomeration areas at both the urban fringe and non-central locations within the urban system. ICT use as such does lead to spatial developments different from general spatial changes: not in general trends but particularly in a much larger magnitude of the dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Papers in Regional Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

During the past decade, much attention has been paid to the migration-development nexus, both in academia and in the global development community. This has created what we argue in this paper can be characterized as an 'international buzz' around the issue. In this paper, we explore how two donor countries, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, have approached the nexus in their policies and practices in recent years. We examine in what ways it has been feasible to work with migration-development links, taking into account various interests and the national political climates regarding development aid and immigration policies. Important themes of the nexus, which are discussed in detail going through the policies, are remittances, engagement with migrant associations, and temporary migration schemes and programmes addressing the so-called 'brain drain' problem. We argue that the two countries represent two different trends among donors: the one does not directly link migration management with migration and development policies, as these are conceived within the national donor agencies; while the other appears to be more focused on providing better migration management through development cooperation. In the conclusion, we argue that the consensus-orientated simplicity of the buzz surrounding migration and development can be said to have had a somewhat restricting effect on the policies, in the sense that it seems to have discouraged conflicting parts of the migration-development nexus from being taken up in the national contexts. Based on our analysis of the two countries' policies, we discuss possible implications for the future, reflecting on the tendency of buzzwords to dip in and out of fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charitable organisations, which support research on serious diseases such as cancer, heart diseases or rheumatism, are to a considerable extent dependent on bequests. Because in the Netherlands, in the next decade, the number of deaths per year is expected to increase at a faster rate than the population growth, it is likely that in the future bequests, there will be an even larger source of income. This paper examines the psychological motives that determine the propensity to include a health-related charitable organisation in the will. Qualitative research by Schervish and Havens (2003) suggested that empathy for the suffering of others is the most important explanatory variable for leaving a bequest to charity. This result is examined and confirmed in a quantitative study by estimating a structural model that shows how other explanatory variables are mediated by empathy. Empathy is positively influenced by appeal of the charitable organisation, lack of family need, altruism and gratitude. Independent from empathy, generativity and personal experience with disease contribute to donations by bequests., Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is more and more empirical evidence to show that highly skilled people are an important determinant of economic growth. Consequently, policy-makers are eager to keep their graduates in the region or attract graduates from elsewhere. It is also well known that people with a higher level of education exhibit high rates of spatial mobility. Much less is known about mobility patterns according to discipline and academic grade. Do the best people stay or leave, and does this vary according to discipline and type of region? This paper investigates the relationship between ability, field of study and spatial mobility using a micro-dataset on Dutch university and college graduates. The findings indicate that there are substantial net flows mainly towards the economic centre of the Netherlands, but that there are also flows between peripheral regions and to other countries. The paper finds that university graduates are more spatially mobile than vocational college level graduates and that when one looks at spatial behaviour according to discipline, there are also striking differences between graduates. This, however, does not necessarily mean that peripheral regions also lose their best graduates. For several disciplines, employers in the peripheral areas are able to retain the graduates with the highest grades, contrary to what the standard human capital framework predicts. However, the study finds that if graduates leave the region, those with the highest grades are more likely to move abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article talks about the regional business climate in the Netherlands. It states in their assessment of the national business climate of the country, Statistics Netherlands used a total of 70 indicators for the regional business climate, which are grouped into two broad categories and eight subcategories, such as stimulants for economic growth and conditions for economic growth. It is inferred that the Netherlands as a country is just too small to relate business climate and economic growth on the subnational level. According to the authors, regional differences in factor conditions on the spatial scale of the country are just too small to influence economic growth to a really significant degree.

The concept of clustering is familiar for economists and policy–makers. Clusters are widely regarded as sources of regional competitiveness. However, although the concept of clustering is widely used, there is no clear consensus of what actually constitutes a cluster. In this paper, we develop a dynamic cluster concept. This cluster concept places one particular value chain as central. First, on the basis of the literature we describe a number of characteristics for identifying a cluster. Second, we develop a stylised cluster cycle, with states of development, expansion, maturity and transition. The development of a cluster in these states stems from external contingent events as well as the internal dynamic of clusters. This dynamic cluster concept can be used to formulate policy alternatives for the different cluster states. We use the dynamic cluster concept to analyse the shipbuilding industry in the Northern Netherlands. This cluster went through the states of development and expansion and now shows signs of maturation. The cluster is described and possible policies to support it are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we put to trial the alleged role of investment in transport and communications infrastructure in economic growth in the Netherlands in the second half of the nineteenth century. To do so, we combine a new data set with data-oriented econometric techniques. Testing of the main hypothesis by applying Granger's concept of causation in a vector auto-regression model reveals that the development of infrastructure 'caused' Dutch economic growth. In order to investigate the underlying mechanisms, we enhance the basic model with impulse-response analysis. This leads to a clear response pattern of GDP to a change in transport infrastructure investment. The response of GDP is explained as being induced by three underlying mechanisms: 1. Positive forward linkage effects (mainly through reductions in the costs of transport and communications). 2. Positive backward linkage effects (mainly through expenditure and income effects). 3. Negative transitional dynamics (mainly through changes in the spatial setting of the economy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly educated individuals constitute great assets for regional development and economic growth. Nevertheless, young university graduates are relatively geographically mobile and less likely to stay in peripheral regions. Based on semi‐structured, life‐calendar interviews, this study explored the immobility decisions of graduates who have stayed in a peripheral urban area in the Netherlands where they completed their university education. The study specifically focused on the roles of family and friends in the staying processes of these young adults. The results indicate that the decision to stay was frequently and consciously re‐evaluated by some, whereas for others, it resulted from a 'lack of triggers' for moving elsewhere. Notably, the interviews revealed that family and friends act as more than motives for staying or deterrents to migration. On various occasions, family and friends had played crucial roles as advisors, influencers, triggers, exemplars and facilitators in the staying processes of highly educated young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article measures long term trends in policy coherence for development. Based on result chains, it develops a counterfactual methodology, and then applies it to assess changes in inputs, outputs and outcomes over time. While the literature does not indicate any significant change in policy coherence for development over the last decade, this research finds that, if the time scale is lengthened to 50 years, an overall increase in policy coherence for development of the Dutch government, vis-à-vis the DR Congo, in the domains of finance and security, can be detected. These changes in policy coherence for development inputs seem to have contributed, in conjunction with similar policies from other countries, in some instances, to positive outcomes in the DRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past one of the main challenges to households was that of coping with adversity. War, plague, famine, and flood were a constant threat, and could reduce what little improvements families had made in productivity. Economic growth therefore required a means of absorbing external adversities. To see how well late medieval households coped with adversity, this investigation focuses on the households of a small town and its surroundings in early modern Holland. Our findings reveal that several severe external shocks around 1500 had little effect on the general level or distribution of wealth, which suggests that certain forms of insurance may have protected the population. The results show that households increasingly invested in capital markets rather than employing such techniques as scattered holdings and hoarding. This fact indicates that such investment played a vital role in a household's risk aversion strategy. The change from unproductive to more productive risk-aversion strategies also provides some clues about progress with respect to insurance during Holland's financial revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, historians have suggested that the economic role of Dutch women and the remarkable economic development of the Dutch Republic are related. Guilds are said to have played an important role. This article analyses the female admission to guilds in early modern Holland in order to assess how guilds affected female labour participation. A classification of guilds according to their admittance of women reveals significant variations in the extent of incorporation of women. Gender norms were not rigid and were applied with flexibility. Thus, guilds formed no obstacle for women in contributing to the flourishing economy of the Dutch Republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study that analyzes the ways changes in contingencies and institutions during 1990s have affected the financial management of housing corporations in the Netherlands. Housing corporations have faced uncertainty in the 1990s, becoming financially independent from the central government. There came the reduction of support for social housing and government policy focused on the promotion of home ownership. Because of the changes and economic pressures, corporations made several changes to their financial management that include treasury and solvency management, capital investment policy, customer relations and operational management. The study shows that the corporations made changes and watchful over the economic indicators because they are working on for more economic efficiency.

This essay reviews the relationship between natural-resource abundance and economic growth around the world, and presents some new results. The principal reasons why resource-based production can inhibit economic growth over long periods are traced to the Dutch disease, neglect of education, rent seeking, and economic policy failures. Across a large number of countries in the period from 1965 to 1998, the share of the primary sector in the labour force is shown to be inversely related to exports, domestic and foreign investment, and education, and directly related to external debt, import protection, corruption, and income inequality. The cross-sectional data show, moreover, that the share of the primary sector in the labour force is inversely related to per capita growth across countries. None of this lies in the nature of things, however. What seems to matter for economic growth is not the abundance of natural resources per se, but rather the quality of their management, and of economic management and institutions in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the most recent phase of the discussion on the historical conditions for economic development, or the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the town-dominated Low Countries have been neglected, because the focus has been to such a large extent on agrarian conditions and agrarian transformations. This article seeks to make use of the cases of the medieval and early modern Northern and Southern Netherlands, the most highly urbanized and commercialized regions in Europe, to show that the rise of towns and the expansion of exchange cannot in themselves bring about economic development, because they cannot bring about the requisite transformation of agrarian social-property relations. In the non-maritime Southern Netherlands, a peasant-based economy led to economic involution. In the maritime Northern Netherlands, the transformation of peasants into market-dependent farmers created the basis for economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International agreement has been reached to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. One important way of decoupling CO emissions from economic growth is by intro2 ducing technical measures to improve energy efficiency.In this article, we assess the influence of developments in energy efficiency and economic structure on the total primary energy consumption in the Netherlands over the period 1980– 1995.We find a distinct decoupling of the economic growth and energy consumption of 1.5% per year in the 15-year analysis period.We measure (technical) changes in energy efficiency by changes in the energy consumption per physical unit of production or activity.The aggregate rate of (technical) energy-efficiency improvement was 1.4% per year over the period 1980–1995.The use of physical production indicators makes it possible to measure energy-efficiency developments without detailed surveys at a very low level of aggregation. When we look at economic structural changes over this period, we find that (i) no substantial shift took place at the level of the economic sectors that we distinguish; (ii) the most energy intensive subsectors grew much faster than the total economy; and (iii) at the subsector level, on average, a sizable decoupling of physical production and value added occurred. We conclude that structural changes, that is, changes in the composition of the economy, did not lead to a net decrease in the energy intensity of the Netherlands over the period 1980–1995. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with some aspects of the compilation of input-output tables (I.O. tables). A global view is given of the way in which I.O. tables are compiled in The Netherlands. It is indicated that in The Netherlands a number of developments are in progress that have led to an extension of the uses that are made of I.O. tables. The changing demands on I.O. tables that result from these developments can be met in future to an important: degree. This has been made possible by extending and improving basic statistics and by increasing the uses made of automation facilities. Some problems remain, however, and one of these problems takes a central place in this article. This is the problem of accuracy and continuity: how can yearly I.O. tables be compiled that combine accuracy with consistency over time. Accuracy means here that the tables should be as complete as possible and in optimal accordance with all available information. Consistency over time means that estimates of details of I.O. tables compared with the same estimates for previous years reflect real economic developments. It is obvious that those two demands may conflict, particularly for years in which new information becomes available. It then must be decided whether accuracy or consistency in time deserves priority. What problems result from this decision and what are the consequences for the yearly I.O. tables? The problems arising from the conflicting demands of accuracy and continuity apply to the Netherlands in the last few years. This led to a revision of I.O. tables and national accounts for 1977. This revision resulted in an increase of estimated national income of more than 6 percent. For some components the adjustments have been much larger; this is particularly true for the services sector. More information on the 1977 revision is given in an annex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information on the development of the Dutch agricultural population during the 20th century. The male agricultural population in the Netherlands has declined from 40 % of the total working population in 1859 to approximately `a % in 1959. After World Wax II there was also a decline in the absolute number. This study contains a careful analysis of census data in order to find which parts of the country and which categories of the agricultural population played the most important roles in this process. It appears for instance, that in 1899 the number of dependent workers was twice that of farmers, while in 1956 the former group was only 90 % of the latter. Further the earliest and strongest decline is seen in the provinces which have had the greatest increase of total population (by industrialization and urbanization). This means that there is a congestion of agricultural population in a number of districts at greater distances from the industrialized centers. Although these districts show the highest emigration figures, emigration does not prevent this congestion.