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Convergence in West German Regional Unemployment Rates

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  • Christian Bayer
  • Falko Jüßen

Abstract

Differences in regional unemployment rates are often used to describe regional economic inequality. This paper asks whether changes in regional unemployment differences in West Germany are persistent over time. Understanding the persistency of regional unemployment differences helps us to assess how effective regional policy can be. While univariate tests suggest that changes in regional unemployment differences are persistent in West Germany, more powerful panel tests lend some support to the hypothesis that regional unemployment rates converge. However, these tests reveal a moderate speed of convergence at best. Because there is a structural break following the second oil crisis, we also use tests that allow for such a break. This provides evidence for both convergence and quick adjustment to an equilibrium distribution of regional unemployment rates that is, however, subject to a structural break. Copyright Verein für Socialpolitik and Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2007.

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  • Christian Bayer & Falko Jüßen, 2007. "Convergence in West German Regional Unemployment Rates," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 8, pages 510-535, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:germec:v:8:y:2007:i::p:510-535
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    Cited by:

    1. Fallahi, Firouz & Voia, Marcel-Cristian, 2015. "Convergence and persistence in per capita energy use among OECD countries: Revisited using confidence intervals," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(PA), pages 246-253.
    2. Roberto Patuelli & Norbert Schanne & Daniel A. Griffith & Peter Nijkamp, 2012. "Persistence Of Regional Unemployment: Application Of A Spatial Filtering Approach To Local Labor Markets In Germany," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(2), pages 300-323, May.
    3. Gomes, Fábio Augusto Reis & da Silva, Cleomar Gomes, 2009. "Hysteresis versus NAIRU and convergence versus divergence: The behavior of regional unemployment rates in Brazil," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 308-322, May.
    4. Irena Raguž Krištić & Lucija Rogić Dumančić & Vladimir Arčabić, 2017. "Persistence and stochastic convergence of euro area unemployment rates: evidence from LM and RALS-LM unit root tests with breaks," EFZG Working Papers Series 1707, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb.
    5. Peter Huber & Gabriele Tondl, 2012. "Migration and regional convergence in the European Union," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 39(4), pages 439-460, November.
    6. Roberta Colavecchio & Declan Curran & Michael Funke, 2009. "Drifting together or falling apart? The empirics of regional economic growth in post-unification Germany," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(9), pages 1087-1098.
    7. Franziska Lottmann, 2012. "Regional Unemployment in Germany: a spatial panel data analysis," ERSA conference papers ersa12p53, European Regional Science Association.
    8. Ramírez Carrera, Dionisio & Rodríguez, Gabriel, 2009. "Have European Unemployment Rates Converged?," Working Papers 2009-007, Banco Central de Reserva del Perú.
    9. Werner, Daniel, 2013. "New insights into the development of regional unemployment disparities," IAB-Discussion Paper 201311, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    10. Roberto Patuelli & Daniel A. Griffith & Michael Tiefelsdorf & Peter Nijkamp, 2006. "The Use of Spatial Filtering Techniques: The Spatial and Space-time Structure of German Unemployment Data," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 06-049/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    11. Roberto Patuelli & Daniel A. Griffith & Michael Tiefelsdorf & Peter Nijkamp, 2011. "Spatial Filtering and Eigenvector Stability: Space-Time Models for German Unemployment Data," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 34(2), pages 253-280, April.
    12. Ronald Bachmann & Michael C. Burda, 2010. "Sectoral Transformation, Turbulence and Labor Market Dynamics in Germany," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 11, pages 37-59, February.
    13. Joanna Tyrowicz & Piotr Wojcik, 2010. "Active Labour Market Policies and Unemployment Convergence in Transition," Review of Economic Analysis, Digital Initiatives at the University of Waterloo Library, vol. 2(1), pages 46-72, January.
    14. Bernd Aumann & Rolf Scheufele, 2010. "Is East Germany catching up? A time series perspective," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(2), pages 177-192.
    15. Annekatrin Niebuhr & Nadia Granato & Anette Haas & Silke Hamann, 2012. "Does Labour Mobility Reduce Disparities between Regional Labour Markets in Germany?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(7), pages 841-858, September.
    16. Mark D. Partridge & Dan S. Rickman & M. Rose Olfert & Ying Tan, 2015. "When Spatial Equilibrium Fails: Is Place-Based Policy Second Best?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(8), pages 1303-1325, August.
    17. Giovanni Russo & Federico Tedeschi & Aura Reggiani & Peter Nijkamp, 2014. "Commuter Effects on Local Labour Markets: A German Modelling Study," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(3), pages 493-508, February.
    18. Joanna Tyrowicz & Piotr Wojcik, 2011. "Nonlinear Stochastic Convergence Analysis of Regional Unemployment Rates in Poland," Review of Economic Analysis, Digital Initiatives at the University of Waterloo Library, vol. 3(1), pages 59-79, July.
    19. László Kónya, 2020. "Did the unemployment rates converge in the EU?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 627-657, August.
    20. Krištić, Irena Raguž & Dumančić, Lucija Rogić & Arčabić, Vladimir, 2019. "Persistence and stochastic convergence of euro area unemployment rates," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 192-198.
    21. Darja Borsic & Alenka Kavkler, 2009. "Duration of Regional Unemployment Spells in Slovenia," Managing Global Transitions, University of Primorska, Faculty of Management Koper, vol. 7(2), pages 123-146.
    22. Joanna Tyrowicz & Piotr Wójcik, 2010. "Unemployment Convergence in Transition," Studies in Economic Transition, in: Enrico Marelli & Marcello Signorelli (ed.), Economic Growth and Structural Features of Transition, chapter 11, pages 236-259, Palgrave Macmillan.
    23. Mill�n D�az-Foncea & Carmen Marcuello, 2014. "The Relation between Total Employment and Cooperative Employment: A Convergence and Causality Analysis," Spatial Economic Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 71-92, March.
    24. repec:dgr:uvatin:20110114 is not listed on IDEAS

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