Convergence and Divergence Among European Regions

The various studies in this book constitute a useful resource of the current level of knowledge on the pattern of, and trends in, regional disparities in the European Union. What they tend to show is that there remains enormous diversity in terms of production structures, responsiveness to exogenous stimuli, behaviour of labour markets and growth paths. There is some clear evidence of the existence of a convergence process, but it is painfully slow and may involve a great deal of noise. The book should be of interest to academics, researchers and students of regional science, economics and geography, as well as individuals interested in employment and economic development in Europe.