Document Type

Working Paper

Publication Date

2002

College/Unit

Regional Research Institute

Document Number

RESEARCH PAPER 2002-3

Department/Program/Center

Regional Research Institute

Abstract

Competition for local economic development has increased dramatically in the past 20 years. This competition is in many cases extremely costly to states and communities, while the benefits are uncertain. If regions whose economic fortunes are complementary could work with instead of against one another, costs of competition could be eliminated, while returns to economic development investments could be enhanced. This paper presents a method by which the underlying spatial economic relationships among areas within a region can be identified. Economic development policy can then be guided by the identification of the competitive or complementary links that exist among areas. The Dendrinos-Sonis (DS) model of relative social spatial dynamics is used to determine these relationships, in aggregate and on an industry-byindustry basis, in the Cincinnati metropolitan region. Sets of competitive and complementary region pairs are identified.

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