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

need for a large labour force with purchasing power, but also imposes a boundary on the minimum
size of a polarised-region.

2.4 Contiguous Region

A contiguous region is defined as a region that is adjacent to, and borders on, a polarised
region. It possesses an economic structure that is dependent on that of a polarised region. Furthermore,
a contiguous region is an administrative region with intersectoral and interregional input-output
linkages to the polarised region. However, the level of economic activity in the contiguous region is
weaker than that in the polarised region (Paelinck and Nijkamp, 1975). This is a crucial point, since it
means, that it cannot be assumed that regional classification will automatically result in the defining of
autonomous core and periphery regions. The existence of a contiguous region with a possible input-
output linkage to the polarised region, introduces a third region type located between the polarised and
periphery regions, providing a seamless geographic continuum in their totality.

2.5 Periphery Region

Regional economists note that a periphery region is an outlying region and, as its name
suggests, geographically distanced in space from a polarised region. The spatial geographic location of
a periphery region is such that intersectoral and interregional economic linkages between it and a
polarised region are not strongly developed. Krugman (1980, 1991a, 1991c, 1991d) has described a
periphery region as “a geographic area with a low population density, consisting mainly of farmers,
and a small share of manufacturing labour vis-à-vis the polarised region.” However, the European
Commission (1994) describes periphery regions as national border and coastal regions with low levels
of economic activity. These pre-integrated regions are peripheral because their neighbouring foreign
regions have a different social, economic, legal, and political system. These differences restrict trade,
and limit the complete development of interregional demand and supply linkages (Krugman and
Venables, 1996).

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