Konstantinos Melachroinos, Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate, OECD, Paris, France
Industrial structure and productivity dynamics in European rural regions (assigned to theme
This paper examines the dynamics of labour productivity growth in the rural regions of the EU during the period 1977-1999. By utilising disaggregated employment and gross value added data covering approximately 150 European regions, three key themes are tackled here. The first is related to the question whether rural regions have narrowed the productivity gap that separates them from urban and intermediate regions. The second issue regards the identification of the sectors that have contributed most to the productivity growth of the European rural regions. Of particular importance is the measurement of the actual share of agriculture in this process. Finally, the third issue concerns the evolution of inequalities within rural regions. Far from being a homogeneous group, rural regions are characterised by significant differences in their industrial structure and economic potential. To this extent, it is interesting to explore whether productivity disparities within rural regions have been intensified as a result of these differences.
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