This article examines regional inequalities in Greece, on the basis of σ-convergence and β-convergence analysis and shows that they were reduced in the 1970s and the 1980s. Regression analysis indicates that regional inequalities have a pro-cyclical character, increasing in periods of economic expansion and decreasing in periods of economic recession. It also indicates that the structure of local industry, the process of EU integration, the quality of human capital and the existence of resources suitable for the development of tourism are among the factors affecting regional growth.JEL classification : R11, O18, C21

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A plethora of past studies have concluded that unconditional "&bgr;"-convergence is present in a broad sample of regions, implying that poor regions grow faster than rich ones. All these econometric studies tend to overlook the relative importance or size of each region in the national setting, treating all regional observations as equal. However, this assumption might lead to unrealistic or misleading results. Convergence analysis could be more meaningful if it included a weighting mechanism taking into account the size of regions. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether the inclusion of a weighting mechanism in "&bgr;"-convergence analysis, giving more weight to larger regions and less to smaller ones, can result in sharply different implications for the regional convergence-divergence process. For this reason, both unweighted ordinary least squares (OLS) and weighted least squares estimators are used in the analysis of regional (intra-national) convergence within 10 European Union (EU) countries over the period 1990-2000. The comparison between the two methods reveals that when regions are appropriately weighted for their size, intra-national divergence, rather than convergence found with the OLS approach, seems to be the dominant experience in the EU. Copyright (c) 2009 Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc..

The 'at-risk-of-poverty' rate is the most widely recognised indicator of income poverty. Its principal advantage is that it is relatively straightforward to define and (given appropriate data) to calculate. National at-risk-of-poverty rates play a key role in monitoring EU2020 objectives relating to combating poverty. Regional patterns of poverty have the potential to deepen our understanding of processes of impoverishment and differentiation, and how they can be more effectively addressed by policy. Estimating regional poverty rates, and especially producing a European map, is a challenging task, given current data resources. This paper begins by placing the at-risk-of-poverty rate within the wider conceptual context relating to poverty, social exclusion and deprivation. It then provides an account of an exercise to map at-risk-of-poverty rates at NUTS 3 across 20 European countries. Together with data derived from national registers (where available) and more direct apportionment methods, coverage of most of Western Europe is achieved. The patterns revealed are described, and generalisations, which serve as pointers to Downloaded from further research on the processes responsible, are derived. The paper concludes with some reflections on the value of regional at-risk-of-poverty rates in advancing our understanding of the distribution and causes of poverty, and hence appropriate interventions to ameliorate it.

The prescription opioid rate, and especially that by certain categories of prescribers, correlated with opioid-related mortality. Interventions should prioritize providers that have a disproportionate impact and those that care for populations with socioeconomic factors that place them at higher risk.