A Regional Core, Adjacent, Periphery Model for National Economic Geography Analysis

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U  UC   UA   UP

EU = ∑ Ui =∑ ∑ Cj ∩∑ ∑ Aj ∩∑ ∑ Pj (θcp > Θca ≥ Θap ) = 0          (9a)

i =1          i =1 j =1          i =1 j =1          i =1 j =1

where EU represents the total geography of the economic union as the sum of the individual countries
Ui where i = 1.. .,U, and U is the total number of countries in the union. The variable Cij represents the
j^th core region in the i^th country; Aij is the j^th adjacent region in the i^th country, and Pij the j^th periphery
region in the i^th country. The condition (θCA < θCP) holds for all periphery regions in the union.

To calculate the average values, let Rij represent the j^th core, adjacent, and periphery region in
the i^th country in the EU. Each Rij has a characteristic vector of demographic and economic variables
represented by, x_k,ij = [x_1,ij x_K,IJ ] , where x_k,ij is the k^th variable in the j^th region type in the i^th country.
Taking each region type from the right hand side of equation (9a) and dividing through by the total
number of region types j, we obtain the following expressions for average variable values:

XC = ɪ∑ ∑C (x_t ) = x_t , XA = ɪ∑ ∑A (x_t ) = x, and x^Pp = ɪ∑ ∑P (x_t ) = x,     (9b)

k                                    ij k,ij             k,ij ^, k                                    ij k,ij             k,ij                  k                                   ij k,ij              k,ij

C i=1 j=1                                   A i=1 j=1                                        P i=1 j=1

where, XC, XA ,and XP represent the average values of the k^th variable in the core, adjacent and
periphery regions. The calculated average values for each of the region types are found in Table 6. In
Table 6, the row entitled ‘EU 15 Averages’ refers to the calculated average values for all the EU
regions of the variables; index of regional per capita income (PPS), and the regional structure of
employment. The outcomes of the demographic data are found in columns (2) and (3). The outcomes
of the economic data are found in columns (4) and (5).

8.2 Demographic Developments

The EU demographic data in Table 6, column (2), reveals a declining regional population
density structure, as regions are located further away from the core. This outcome is salient because it
supports the basic theoretical assumption underlying von Thünen’s concentric circle theory. The
average population densities in the EU CAP regions increased marginally in 1997. The core regions

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