Regional disparities

Question 1

Regional development definition

Answer 1

• If a region exhibits faster growth than all other OECD regions, including those in the same country, then growth can be ascribed to the region’s performance

Question 2

TheEconomist

Answer 2

• Gap between Britain’s poorest regions and it’s richest has widened for the past 20 years
• One policy to help, Enterprise zones, areas that will get preferential tax treatment and simplified planning rules

Question 3

Reasons for regional disparities

Answer 3

• As the national economy develops income inequalities intensify to a certain extent due to labour migration of capital and an unconnected economy (Obradovic,S.et al.2016)
• Growth in the economy is associated with agglomeration, areas without agglomeration will lag behind (Obradovic,S.et al.2016)
• Differences in human capital between regions which contributes to higher growth in major cities (Obradovic,S.et al.2016)
• Current urban policies tend to try and reproduce the image of the ‘old’ core- centric city and pay little attention to the emerging urban landscapes (Dembski,2015)