Spatial disparities in the European agriculture: A regional analysis

In: Applied Economics, Band 40, Heft 13, S. 1669-1684

Abstract

This paper examines the territorial imbalances in European agriculture during
the period 1980-2001, by means of the information provided by various methodological
instruments which allow us to overcome the drawbacks of conventional convergence
analysis. The results obtained reveal that the regional distribution of productivity
in the agricultural sector is characterized by the presence of positive spatial
dependence. This fact implies that the European regions in close spatial proximity
register similar levels of the variable under study, which highlights the relevance of
geographical location in this context. The empirical evidence presented also shows
that regional disparities have remained almost constant during the time interval
considered. However, the increase in density around the European average explains
the observed reduction in the degree of bipolarization, while intra-distribution mobility
is relatively limited. Finally, the analysis carried out allows us to assess the
role of variables such as country of origin, investment per worker in the agricultural
sector, regional per capita income or the size of the agrifood industry, in explaining
the dynamics of the distribution under analysis.