INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTAN

Despite considerable concern by the government, deep regional disparities remain a persistent and troubling feature of Pakistan's economy. Although stark inter-provincial differences have received the most attention, both policy-makers and research scholars also need to address profound intra-provincial inequalities. Using factor analysis, this paper examines the relationship between investments in "hard" infrastructural development and inter-provincial and intra-provincial disparities in Pakistan. Overall, the paper argues that a very close association exists in Pakistan between regional infrastructure endowment and broad levels of socio-economic development. Specifically, data indicate the striking importance of transport within and across regions. The analysis investigates the importance of differing types of transport infrastructure for regional development. The paper concludes with policy recommendations concerning levels, types and mix of hard infrastructural investments that might provide policy-makers with the best opportunity for alleviating income disparities.     

REGIONAL SPECIALIZATION AND DYNAMIC PATTERN OF COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA'S INDUSTRIES 1988–2001

Different comparative advantages may affect the pattern of regional specialization in many ways. In this paper, by employing panel data covering 20 main industrial sectors in 29 Chinese provinces over the period of 1988–2001, and applying the generalized method of moment techniques, the determinants of regional specialization in China are investigated, paying particular attention to the role of dynamic comparative advantages. It is found that changing comparative advantages arising from technical efficiency improvement, scale economies enhancement, and growing economic openness contribute positively and significantly to China's regional specialization.     

西部开发重点区域交通基础设施评价--以南贵昆经济区为例

交通基础设施作为社会先行资本,能够为一个区域的发展提供强有力的物质基础,国家西部开发的战略把交通基础设施的建设摆在极其重要的位置上.以西部开发的一个重点区域--南贵昆经济区为例,研究该区域的交通基础设施的建设现状及存在的问题,并结合西部开发的战略要求,探索适合该区域的交通基础设施发展方向.     

New highways as economic development tools: An evaluation using quasi-experimental matching methods

Stimulating economic growth and development in rural and economically lagging regions is the goal of several federal and state highway programs. This paper examines the effectiveness of highway investment as an economic development tool. A quasi-experimental matching method is used to examine the effects of interstate highways on counties which obtained links during the period 1963–1975 or are in close proximity to these newly linked counties. The results show that the beneficiaries of the interstate links in terms of economic growth are interstate counties in close proximity to large cities or having some degree of prior urbanization, such as a city with more than 25,000 residents. Rural interstate and off-interstate counties exhibit few positive effects.     

MODELS OF REGIONAL GROWTH: PAST,PRESENT AND FUTURE

Abstract This paper presents an overview of various models of regional growth that have appeared in the literature in the last 40 years. It considers the past, and therefore supply‐side models, such as the standard neoclassical, juxtaposed against essentially demand‐side approaches such as the export‐base and cumulative causation models (as integrated into the Kaldorian approach); before moving on to the ‘present’ and more recent versions of the neoclassical model involving spatial weights and ‘convergence clubs’, as well as new economic geography core–periphery models, and the ‘innovation systems’ approach. A key feature of the more recent literature is an attempt to explicitly include spatial factors into the model, and thus there is a renewed emphasis on agglomeration economies and spillovers. Discussing ‘present’ and ‘future’ approaches to regional growth overlaps with the current emphasis in the literature on the importance of more intangible factors such as the role of ‘knowledge’ and its influence on growth. Finally, there is a discussion of the greater emphasis that needs to be placed at the ‘micro‐level’ when considering what drives growth, and thus factors such as inter alia firm heterogeneity, entrepreneurship and absorptive capacity.     

PROCESSING TRADE BIASES THE MEASUREMENT OF VERTICAL SPECIALIZATION IN CHINA

Vertical specialization (VS) is often measured by the import contents of the exports, using an input–output (I–O) framework. Half of China's exports are processing exports, which largely depend on imported intermediate inputs and tie up upstream as well as downstream trade partners. Thus, one would expect to find strong VS for China. Using the ‘ordinary’ I–O tables, however, this is not the case. Because the production of processing exports is only a small part of total production, the average input structure in the I–O table hides the typical features of processing exports. Using adapted, tripartite I–O tables (for 2002 and 2007) in which the processing exports have been singled out, indeed reveals the expected strong VS in China.     

PUBLIC–PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN THE NETHERLANDS: POLICY, PROJECTS AND LESSONS

This article examines the re-emergence of public–private partnerships (PPPs) in the Netherlands since the 1980s, summarising the policy discussions that have taken place, and analysing the projects that have been implemented or planned. Several policy conclusions are drawn from the Dutch experience with PPPs.