On Wednesday 26 March, EPRC hosted a seminar by Jesus Lopez-Rodriguez, from the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), Joint Research Centre, European Commission and also Associate Professor at the University of A Coruna.
The seminar focussed upon a spatial econometric geographical model of the link between human capital and geographical location. Based on principles of endogenous human capital accumulation, its results demonstrated from a theoretical perspective that economic remoteness matters when investing in skills. Using Romanian regional data as a test case, the model also suggests that between 45% and 59% of the spatial variation in human capital levels is explained by regional access to market. This has implications for regional convergence in income levels, and for regional policy in general.
The presentation slides can be downloaded here.