ABSTRACT

This book is the first quantitative description of Europe’s economic development at a regional level over the entire twentieth century. Based on a new and comprehensive set of data, it brings together a group of leading economic historians in order to describe and analyze the development of European regions, both for nation states and for Europe as a whole. This provides a new transnational perspective on Europe’s quantitative development, offering for the first time a systematic long-run analysis of national policies independent from the use of national statistical units. The new transnational dimension of data allows for the analysis of national policies in a more thorough way than ever before.

The book provides a comprehensive database at the level of modern NUTS 2 regions for the period 1900–2010 in 10-year intervals, and a panoramic view of economic development both below and above the national level. It will be of great interest to economic historians, economic geographers, development economists and those with an interest in economic growth.

chapter 1|2 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|39 pages

Regional economic development in Europe, 1900–2010

A description of the patterns

chapter 3.1|27 pages

From empire to republic

Regional inequality in Austria, 1870–2014

chapter 3.2|16 pages

Changing spatial inequality in a divided country

Belgium, 1896–2010

chapter 3.4|26 pages

Balancing east and west

Evidence from Finland’s regional GDPs, 1880–2010 1

chapter 3.7|27 pages

Regional income inequality in Italy in the long run (1871–2010)

Patterns and determinants

chapter 3.12|19 pages

Regional convergence and divergence in Sweden, 1860–2010

Evidence from Swedish historical regional GDP data 1

chapter 3.13|20 pages

Switzerland

chapter 3.14|33 pages

150 years of regional GDP

United Kingdom and Ireland

chapter 4|24 pages

Regional inequality in the United States

Long-term patterns, 1880–2010