http://hdl.handle.net/11089/10851 2026-04-03T19:59:11Z http://hdl.handle.net/11089/10866 Regional Inequalities in the New European Union Member-States: Is There a ‘Population Size’ Effect? Kallioras, Dimitris 2010-11-19T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11089/10864 Poland in the Period of Economic Transition and Germany After Reunification an Attempt at Assessing Σ-Convergence Götz, Marta In 2009 and 2010 Poland and Germany are celebrating some important anniversaries - 20 years of the first free elections and the fall of the Berlin Wall. These jubilees inspire research aiming at taking stock of developments having unfolded over this time. Since the economic cohesion is high on the EU agenda, examining international and interregional differences seems an important research task. This article aims at evaluating and comparing σ-convergence (diminishing discrepancies of GDP p.c.) in Poland (1995-2005) and Germany (1992-2006) on three NUTS levels. Preliminary results point to inequalities regularly diminishing in Germany, however, growing in Poland. A tentative reasoning suggests that increasing values of regional differences observed in Poland might be a temporary phenomenon. 2010-11-19T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11089/10865 Adoption of Technology and Regional Convergence in Europe Alexiadis, Stilianos; Korres, George This paper examines the pattern of convergence in labour productivity across regions due to their ability to adopt technology. Whether regions exhibit a pattern of convergence depends on the degree to which infrastructure conditions are appropriate for the adoption of technological improvements. The ability of a region to adopt or create technology is reflected in the percentage of its labour force employed in technologically dynamic sectors or, more generally, in the resources devoted to science and technology. A high percentage of labour employed in technologically advanced sectors leads a region to a pattern of convergence. This hypothesis is tested using data for the NUTS-2 regions of the EU-27 during the time period 1995-2006. The results suggest that adoption of technology has a significant and positive effect on regional convergence in Europe. The analysis is also shown to have important implications for the direction of regional policy in Europe. To be more specific, regional policies, in order to enhance regional growth and convergence, should encourage employment in advanced technological sectors. 2010-11-19T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11089/10863 Post-Apartheid National Spatial Development Planning in South Africa - A Brief History Oranje, Mark Since coming to power in 1994 successive ANC-governments have engaged in a series of attempts at national spatial development planning in South Africa. These engagements have received scant treatment in the planning literature. In this paper a broad overview of these initiatives is provided, with an emphasis on the different instruments; the context in which they were developed; the institutions that were proposed and/or created in support of the instruments; and the extent to which the instruments were implemented and what their levels of success were. The paper concludes with a call for comparative research, including South Africa, in this arena. 2010-11-19T00:00:00Z