IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envira/v32y2000i2p361-376.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Methodological Issues in Cross-Border Analyses of European Small-Area Data: A Case Study

Author

Listed:
  • Sally Cook
  • Michael A Poole
  • Adrian J Moore
  • Dennis G Pringle

    (Department of Geography, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, County Kildare, Republic of Ireland)

Abstract

The growing trends for political and economic integration within the European Union signal a need for improved cohesion of national data sets to allow for comparative cross-national research on socioeconomic topics. Difficulties in achieving comparability of variables and spatial bases can apply whether analysis is undertaken at the most macro level (that of entire nations) or at more micro spatial scales. In this paper we will discuss the methodological problems which can arise from comparative cross-border analysis by using small-area census data within Ireland (North and South) as illustration. As this analysis demonstrates, limited overlap between the specific variables in national data sets, different national contexts for socioeconomic indicators, and variations between data sets in the size of spatial units can all cause analytical problems at this spatial scale. In particular, scale mixing can potentially result in very misleading interpretations. Possible solutions to these problems are discussed, and policy recommendations are made in relation to microscale spatial data sets at the national, as well as at the pan-European, level.

Suggested Citation

  • Sally Cook & Michael A Poole & Adrian J Moore & Dennis G Pringle, 2000. "Methodological Issues in Cross-Border Analyses of European Small-Area Data: A Case Study," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 32(2), pages 361-376, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:32:y:2000:i:2:p:361-376
    DOI: 10.1068/a3278
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/a3278
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1068/a3278?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:bla:revinw:v:42:y:1996:i:3:p:271-91 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. C G Amrhein, 1995. "Searching for the Elusive Aggregation Effect: Evidence from Statistical Simulations," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 27(1), pages 105-119, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Briant, A. & Combes, P.-P. & Lafourcade, M., 2010. "Dots to boxes: Do the size and shape of spatial units jeopardize economic geography estimations?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 287-302, May.
    2. Gong, Chengzhu & Yu, Shiwei & Zhu, Kejun & Hailu, Atakelty, 2016. "Evaluating the influence of increasing block tariffs in residential gas sector using agent-based computational economics," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 334-347.
    3. Gábor Békés & Péter Harasztosi, 2018. "Grid and shake: spatial aggregation and the robustness of regionally estimated elasticities," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 60(1), pages 143-170, January.
    4. Josep-Maria Arauzo-Carod & Miguel Manjón-Antolín, 2012. "(Optimal) spatial aggregation in the determinants of industrial location," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 645-658, October.
    5. Stępniak, Marcin & Jacobs-Crisioni, Chris, 2017. "Reducing the uncertainty induced by spatial aggregation in accessibility and spatial interaction applications," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 17-29.
    6. Kinne, Jan & Resch, Bernd, 2017. "Analysing and predicting micro-location patterns of software firms," ZEW Discussion Papers 17-063, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    7. Portnov, Boris A. & Felsenstein, Daniel, 2010. "On the suitability of income inequality measures for regional analysis: Some evidence from simulation analysis and bootstrapping tests," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 44(4), pages 212-219, December.
    8. João Lourenço Marques & Jan Wolf & Fillipe Feitosa, 2021. "Accessibility to primary schools in Portugal: a case of spatial inequity?," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(3), pages 693-707, June.
    9. Tamás Dusek, 2005. "The modifiable areal unit problem in regional economics," ERSA conference papers ersa05p357, European Regional Science Association.
    10. Vemuri, Amanda W. & Costanza, Robert, 2006. "The role of human, social, built, and natural capital in explaining life satisfaction at the country level: Toward a National Well-Being Index (NWI)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1), pages 119-133, June.
    11. Briant, A. & Combes, P.-P. & Lafourcade, M., 2010. "Dots to boxes: Do the size and shape of spatial units jeopardize economic geography estimations?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 287-302, May.
    12. Raymond J. G. M. Florax & Arno J. Van der Vlist, 2003. "Spatial Econometric Data Analysis: Moving Beyond Traditional Models," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 26(3), pages 223-243, July.
    13. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Vassilis Tselios, 2007. "Mapping the European regional educational distribution: Educational attainment and inequality," Working Papers 2007-18, Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados (IMDEA) Ciencias Sociales.
    14. A. Stewart Fotheringham & M. Sachdeva, 2022. "Scale and local modeling: new perspectives on the modifiable areal unit problem and Simpson’s paradox," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 475-499, July.
    15. Ian Shuttleworth & Myles Gould, 2010. "Distance between Home and Work: A Multilevel Analysis of Individual Workers, Neighbourhoods, and Employment Sites in Northern Ireland," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 42(5), pages 1221-1238, May.
    16. Roberto Ercole & Robert O'neill, 2017. "The Influence of Agglomeration Externalities on Manufacturing Growth Within Indonesian Locations," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 91-126, March.
    17. Kelvyn Jones & David Manley & Ron Johnston & Dewi Owen, 2018. "Modelling residential segregation as unevenness and clustering: A multilevel modelling approach incorporating spatial dependence and tackling the MAUP," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 45(6), pages 1122-1141, November.
    18. Paolo Veneri, 2018. "Urban spatial structure in OECD cities: Is urban population decentralising or clustering?," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 97(4), pages 1355-1374, November.
    19. Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés & Tselios, Vassilis, 2007. "Analysis of Educational Distribution in Europe: Educational Attainment and Inequality Within Regions," Papers DYNREG08, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    20. Prodromídis, Pródromos-Ioánnis K., 2017. "Analyzing local incomes in Greece by fitting space with an econometrics driven method," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 15(C), pages 1-16.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:32:y:2000:i:2:p:361-376. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.