We examine the effects of broadband on establishment births for five types of areas, six industries and two speed levels. Econometric results indicate that broadband has an
This paper draws on location theories to statistically identify the relationship between the location of individual business establishments and the characterization of their local economic environment. Taking a microspatial perspective, the paper develops indicators from distance-based measures (DBM) to serve as independent variables in a discrete choice model (DCM). Using a 2006 database of individual business establishments in the Lower-St-Lawrence region-a coherent, nonmetropolitan subsystem of cities in the province of Québec, Canadawe provide an empirical analysis of the determinants of individual establishments' location decisions in relation to their main economic activity within a random utility model (RUM) framework. The results show that distance to nearby centers, co-location (specialization), and the size of establishments are statistically related to location decisions. However, unlike previous studies, it is also found that discrete location choices of business establishments in service industries are not necessarily influenced by economic diversity or co-location, whereas manufacturing firms' location decisions are not impacted by distance to markets. All told, we believe the results provide further evidence of the importance of scale in the study of business location decisions.
Growing evidence suggests that resource-led economic growth generates rising housing prices which make it difficult for low to mid income earners to find adequate, suitable, and affordable housing. This research explores how households' characteristics associated with housing stress evolve in relation to the commodity cycle, and their relative impact along the distribution of accessibility constraints in two resource-driven agglomerations in Canada: St. John's, Newfoundland, and Fort McMurray, Alberta. Using census microdata, we develop quantile regression models for households in the bottom, median, and top quartiles of the housing affordability stress spectrum between 1991 and 2011. We find differentiated effects for households with low, median, and high levels of housing stress. The young, lone females, lone parents, and people working in low-paid services face increasing housing stress, while this relation sharply degrades over time for households in the highest quartiles. These results provide evidence of emerging vulnerabilities, notably among renters, first-time homebuyers, and people outside the labour force.
Please cite as:Dubé, Jean, and Cédric Brunelle. 2014. "Dots to dots: A general methodology to build local indicators using spatial micro-data." The Annals of Regional Science 53 (1):245-272. doi: 10.1007/s00168-014-0627-z.
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