- Kansantalous
- PTT Julkaisuja
Aki Kangasharju. REGIONAL ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES IN FINLAND: Variations in income growth and firm formation. Pellervon taloudellinen tutkimuslaitos PTT Julkaisuja N:o 17. Espoo 1998. (In English)
Aki Kangasharju. REGIONAL ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES IN FINLAND: Variations in income growth and firm formation. Pellervo Economic Research Institute Publications No. 17. Espoo 1998. (In English)
This thesis consists of five empirical essays which investigate spatial differences in economic growth and firm formation in Finland. The essays are preceded by an introductory chapter which provides background and outlines thesis as well as summarises the results and presents the main conclusions. After the introductory chapter, three consecutive studies analyse the so-called convergence phenomenon of economic growth within the 88 Finnish subregions between 1934 and 1993. The first essay focuses on measuring the speed at which economies have approached their own steady states, i.e. β convergence. The main findings are that β convergence has been slightly above β percent annually and that Finnish β convergence has been rather similar to that in many other countries. The essay also presents some evidence to show that there are subregional differences in steady states and that p is not common to all, but it is inversely related to the steady state of the subregions. The second essay concentrates on the evolution of the income distribution of the subregions over time, i.e. σ convergence. The main findings are that σ convergence has been stronger in Finland than in many other countries and no inferior convergence club has emerged which might have diverged from the superior club. The third essay focuses on testing the dynamics inside the income distribution. The finding is that the subregional growth rates are not entirely determined by the income level but that the intra-distribution dynamics has been strong. The study also tests the robustness of the findings that the steady states differ across the subregions, and finds that some of the steady state determinants are in fact fragile. The second broad issue examined in the thesis concerns the dynamics of firm registrations and deregistrations across the subregions. The fourth essay studies the determinants of firm formation between 1989 and 1993. A major finding is that the dominance of the small firm sector in particular determines firm formation in the subregions. The essay also finds that the determinants of firm formation are rather similar in Finland to those in many other countries. Finally, the fifth essay investigates the interrelationships between the births and deaths of firms. One finding is that firm deaths (Granger) cause future firm births at the subregional level, whereas the reverse causal relationship is not found. The essay also illustrates how crucial it is to use the instrumental variable estimator instead of the OLS estimator in this dynamic context.