No abstract

This article analyzes the evolution of regional differences in Spain and emphasizes the importance of a disaggregate analysis at a sectoral level. In particular, the authors observe convergence in productivity at the aggregate regional level but not at the sectoral level. Aggregate convergence seems to be due to the gradual homogenization of regional productive structures. This result may modify some of the conclusions drawn in the recent literature regarding the mechanisms that have generated convergence. In addition, we examine the so-called beta convergence hypothesis using a fixed-effects model. The results show the importance of regional specificity captured by the fixed effects and have implications that are very different from those of beta convergence analyses with cross-section data.

The objective of this paper is to estimate the impact of residential job accessibility on female employment probability in the metropolitan areas of Barcelona and Madrid.

This study analyses the impact that job accessibility in public transport has on car ownership. An ordered probit explaining the number of cars per household is estimated as a function of head of household characteristics, household characteristics and job accessibility. The data used in the analysis come from the Microcensus of year 2001 of the Spanish Institute of Statistics for the areas of Barcelona and Madrid. Our results show a significant effect of accessibility on car ownership. Additionally, we carried out simulation exercises in which the expected number of vehicles decreases as accessibility improves. For instance, in the case of households living outside the central city, an improvement of accessibility up to the average level of the central city would offset the effect of the number of working adults on the expected number of vehicles.

This paper represents the first contribution that investigates the economic value of Catalan knowledge in terms of earnings, focusing on national and foreign first-and second-generation immigrants in Catalonia. Specifically, drawing on data from the "Survey on Living Conditions and Habits of the Catalan Population (2006)", we want to quantify the expected earnings differential between individuals who are proficient in Catalan and those who are not, taking into account the potential endogeneity between knowledge of Catalan and earnings. The results indicate the existence of a positive return to knowledge of Catalan, with a 7.5% increase in earnings estimated by OLS; however, when we account for the presence of endogeneity, monthly earnings are around 18% higher for individuals who are able to speak and write Catalan. However, we also find that language and education are complementary inputs for generating earnings in Catalonia, given that knowledge of Catalan increases monthly earnings only for more educated individuals.