Economic agglomerations: The mechanism of their formation and emergence of regularities, and policy implications

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25285074
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Economic policy
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Mori Tomoya 京都大学, 経済研究所, 教授 (70283679)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 文 世一 京都大学, 経済学研究科(研究院), 教授 (40192736)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 経済集積 / 都市経済学 / 空間経済学 / 中心地理論 / 輸送費 / べき乗則 / 都市規模分布 / 産業立地

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have developed a statistical clustering method to detect industrial agglomerations, and by using this have quantified the spatial scale of agglomerations which was found to be consistent with the implications of micro-economic models of agglomeration. By using the 1980-2010 data in Japan, we also have shown the evidence for constant churning of population and industrial composition of cities, together with the persistent stability in the size distribution and relative industrial composition of cities. To replicate such regularities at the distribution level, we have developed a numerical framework (utilizing super computers) to simulate high-dimensional non-linear systems. Finally, regarding the transport network formation and increasing returns in transportation, by using Japanese commodity flow survey data, we proposed a quantification of the value of shipment time and the extents of economies of long-hauling as well as transport density.

Free Research Field

都市経済学