In the 1950s and 1960s the Israeli government did not let market forces absorb the immigrants, disperse them spatially and find them jobs. 'Planning from above' dominated immigrant absorption. The absorption of the immigrants from the former Soviet Union in the past five years is marked by a completely new policy conception, known in Israel as 'direct absorption'. The Israeli government decided to replace its strategy of intervention from above with a strategy of absorption by market forces. The objective of the present study is to examine the spatial results of this policy, by looking at the geographical distribution of immigrants from the former Soviet Union in Israel, while distinguishing between the geographical distribution of supply of housing for immigrants (the public sector versus the private sector) and the geographical distribution of demand, which is manifested in the immigrants' initial place of settlement and their redistribution by means of internal migration.

LIPSHITZ G. and RAVEH A. (1998) Socio-economic differences among localities: a new method of multivariate analysis, Reg. Studies 32, 747-757. From a theoretical planning standpoint, this study is one of those that examines the socio-economic differences among localities that make up 'large' geographic units. Methodologically speaking, this study belongs to the group of studies that examines methods of classifying observations. The study, which is based on a new multivariate statistical method (Co-plot), presents the core-periphery pattern that characterizes the spatial distribution at the socio-economic level of the Israeli population, as well as the differences between the towns that make up the core and the periphery. The findings of the present study point to the need to reconsider regional development by placing the main emphasis on the fashioning of a differential regional development policy, together with, or in preference to, a homogeneous or uniform policy. The significance of this finding transcends the Israeli case. It has theoretical and methodological implications in the larger context of regional development, as the conclusion of the study affirms. Another important contribution of this study is the application of a new method of cluster analysis. This method is called 'Co-plot' and will be clarified in the paper. LIPSHITZ G. et RAVEH A. (1998) Une nouvelle analyse a variables multiples des ecarts socio-economiques regionaux, Reg. Studies 32, 747-757. Du point de vue theorique, cette etude examine les ecarts socio-economiques des pays qui font de grandes zones geographiques. Sur le plan methodologique, cette etude fait partie des etudes qui examinent les methodes utilisees pour classer les observations. A partir d'une nouvelle methode statistique a variables multiples ('Co-plot'), cette etude presente la tendance centre-peripherie qui caracterise la distribution geographique du niveau socio-economique de la population israelienne, aussi bien que les ecarts entre les villes qui font le centre et la peripherie. Les resultats de cette etude montre la necessite de remettre en cause l'amenagement du territoire tout en soulignant la conception d'une politique d'amenagement du territoire differentielle , conjointement avec ou de preference a une politique homog ene ou uniforme. L'importance de ce constat transcende le cas israelien. Dans un contexte plus vaste d'amenagement du territoire, il y a des retombees theoriques et methodologiques, comme l'affirme la conclusion de l'etude. Le role joue par l'application d'une nouvelle methode d'analyse en grappes est a signaler. Cette methode 'Co-plot' se voit eclaircir dans l'articler. LIPSHITZ G. und RAVEH A. (1998) Sozialokonomische Unterschiede von Ortschaften nach einer neuen Methode der Multivariatanalyse, Reg. Studies 32, 747-757. Von einem theoretischen Planungsstandpunkt aus gesehen ist diese Arbeit eine derer, welche die sozialokonomischen Unterschiede von Gegenden untersuchen, die 'grosse' geographische Einheiten bilden. Vom Standpunkt der Methodik her ge...

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The present study is a comparative analysis of various theoretical approaches to the question of divergence versus convergence in regional development. The article examines a number of studies presented in this field. The first section deals with the economic aspect of this subject, while the second discusses population dispersal and polarization in the context of regional development. The third section analyzes the empirical findings on developed and developing countries, as well as Eastern European (formerly Communist bloc) countries. An integrative approach to this field is also proposed.

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