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Growth and Location of Economic Activity: The Spatial Dynamics of Industries in Canada 1971–2001
Author(s) -
POLÈSE MARIO,
SHEARMUR RICHARD
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
growth and change
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.657
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1468-2257
pISSN - 0017-4815
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2257.2006.00328.x
Subject(s) - economic geography , premise , crowding , differential (mechanical device) , tertiary sector of the economy , manufacturing , spatial distribution , distribution (mathematics) , offset (computer science) , econometrics , business , geography , industrial organization , economics , economy , computer science , marketing , mathematics , engineering , mathematical analysis , philosophy , linguistics , remote sensing , neuroscience , aerospace engineering , biology , programming language
A growing literature has accumulated that points to the stability of industrial location patterns. Can this be reconciled with spatial dynamics? This article starts with the premise that demonstrable regularities exist in the manner in which individual industries locate (and relocate) over space. For Canada, spatial distributions of employment are examined for seventy‐one industries over a thirty‐year period (1971–2001). Industry data is organized by “synthetic regions” based on urban size and distance criteria. “Typical” location patterns are identified for industry groupings. Industrial spatial concentrations are then compared over time using correlation analysis, showing a high degree of stability. Stable industrial location patterns are not, the article finds, incompatible with differential regional growth. Five spatial processes are identified, driving change. The chief driving force is the propensity of dynamic industries to start up in large metro areas, setting off a process of diffusion (for services) and crowding out (for manufacturing), offset by the centralizing impact of greater consumer mobility and falling transport costs. These changes do not, however, significantly alter the relative spatial distribution of most industries over time.