Agglomeration economies in the Netherlands

Abstract

In this paper we measure the strength of agglomeration economies on the basis of Dutch regional data. The drift to the city has been going on for hundreds of years. As a result, most economic activity is concentrated in small geographical areas. The advantages of proximity of people and firms go under the name 'agglomeration economies'. We regress regional labour productivity on a set of agglomeration indices, and find evidence for a productivity effect of concentration of production with a malus for industrial variety. Thus, the evidence supports Marschall-Arrow-Romer economies. The evidence does not support, however, Jacobs economies, nor variants of the Creative Class Hypothesis.