Agglomeration with the pros and cons of labor heterogeneity

Using a simple two-region model with the positive and negative effects of labor heterogeneity, we investigate the agglomeration pattern of entrepreneurs and the commuting pattern of heterogeneous workers. Labor heterogeneity is a source of productivity for e.g. high-tech industries as well as is an obstacle to e.g. mass production. As a result, we show that entrepreneurs tend to concentrate to a region hence regional labor markets are united with interregional commuting when (i) the commuting cost or (ii) the adjustment cost of labor heterogeneity is low, and when (iii) the input of heterogeneous labor is large. These results explain: the progress of urbanization with the decrease in commuting costs; the difference in the agglomeration tendency of industries

Does labor diversity cause agglomeration in Japan?: an NEG approach with a covariance structure analysis

Using a simplified NEG model, we investigates the relation between labor diversity and agglomeration. In the theoretical part, we assume the following two-region model. Homogenous consumption goods are produced using a constant returns technology with homogenous capital and heterogenous workers. The production function exhibits increasing returns to scale in labor diversity. Capital is freely mobile between the regions, while workers are immobile but can commute to the other region by paying the commuting cost. Considering the circular causation in this model, the backward linkage (i.e. agglomeration caused by labor demand) implies the agglomeration of capital leads workers to concentrate. The forward linkage (i.e. agglomeration caused by labor supply) implies the increase in the number of workers enhances labor diversity and causes agglomeration of capital. The theoretical result is summarized as follows. When interregional commuting cost is sufficiently low, workers tend to choose their jobs in the region with a larger share of capital. Furthermore, the inflow of commuting workers increases the degree of labor diversity in the labor receiving region, and causes agglomeration of capital. In the empirical part, we confirm the theoretical results by covariance structure analysis with Japanese prefectural datas. We construct path diagrams describing the above backward and forward linkages. In order to measure the latent factor of labor diversity, we use following six indices: newspaper subscription, car registration, votes share in national election, foreign travel, white-collar share, and interregional commute. As an empirical result, we reveal the existence of the circular causation in Japan. Concretely, on the backward linkage, capital agglomeration (the number of firms) has a significant and positive indirect effect on labor agglomeration (the number of workers) through the wage income of workers, as well as a direct effect on labor agglomeration. The forward linkage is also positive and significant. Labor agglomeration significantly enhances the labor diversity, and the labor diversity raises capital reward (firmsf profit) and leads capital (firms) to agglomerate. Besides, the labor diversity is strongly and significantly influenced by the indices of the car registration, the foreign travel, and the white-collar share. The empirical analysis in Japan supports the theoretical result that labor diversity causes agglomeration through the circular causation

Regional Potential and Wage Differentials, Simulation of Regional Integration and Employment Distribution across Regions: NEG approach by interregional IO table (Japanese)

Based on the NEG model incorporating the interregional input-output structure, we estimate the differentials of wage structure and simulate the labor distribution patterns by changing transportation parameters in Japan. There are two kinds of approaches to estimate regional potential and/or wage equations in the NEG model: the first is the two-step approach with dummy variables (Redding and Venables, 2004, Head and Mayer, 2006, etc.) and the second is the single-step approach (Hanson, 2005, Brackman et al., 2006, etc.), which directly estimates parameters related to regional potentials. We evaluate these approaches by making use of interregional IO tables with nine regions in which regional CPI and income are available. In addition, the estimation is conducted by more comprehensive regional variables such as regional infrastructure, land endowment, and interregional/intersectoral trade data, which are classified into intermediate and final goods. Based on the estimation results, furthermore, we simulate the multi-regional NEG model of Japan, and investigate the equilibrium labor distribution which equalizes interregional utilities in different levels of transport costs.

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

ミンカン シホン シャカイ シホン ト ケイザイ チリガク

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(経済学)甲第11284号経博第211号新制||経||199(附属図書館)22927UT51-2005-D35京都大学大学院経済学研究科現代経済学専攻(主査)教授 藤田 昌久, 助教授 文 世一, 助教授 森 知也学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of EconomicsKyoto UniversityDA

Transport costs, capital mobility and the provision of local public goods

Abstract Using a new economic geography model with local governments, this study analyzes the relation between transport costs, capital mobility and the provision of local public goods that improve regional productivity. First, if capital is immobile, the effect of local public goods on regional competitiveness engenders over-provision of local public goods, whereas the interregional spillover engenders under-provision of local public goods. As transport costs fall, the latter effect becomes stronger than the former; consequently, the provision status of local public goods changes from under-provision to over-provision. Secondly, if capital is mobile, capital flows to regions with a larger market (higher productivity) when transport costs are high (low). Such capital mobility changes the local public policy from under-provision to over-provision as transport costs fall

Factor distribution, capital intensity and spatial agglomeration

R12, R23, R30,

Attracting foreign investment: Optimal ODA policy with trade liberalization

This paper presents a theoretical framework for analyzing the efficient use of foreign aid (ODA) in attracting foreign direct investment, based on the variant of recent economic geography models. A salient result is that recipient countries with less trade openness should direct ODA towards social infrastructure, whereas it should be aimed toward developing economic infrastructure if the target country is a sufficiently open economy. The second result is that, in spite of optimal ODA policy, capital might outflow temporarily from less-developed countries at the beginning of trade liberalization. These results are consistent with empirical observations of 74 recipient countries for the time period 1991�-�2001.Aid policy, foreign direct investment, trade liberalization, new economic geography,