Regional and Urban Economics - Period 2

Space and distance are important determinants of economic processes. Many phenomena that are of interest to economists have an explicit spatial dimension that is oftentimes left implicit. It is, however, increasingly recognized that 'space matters?. Just think about cities that are increasingly seen as engines of economic growth and development as illustrated by the fascinating developments and concentrations of economic activity at the Amsterdam South axis (de Zuidas), the financial district in London, or Sillicon Valley in the United States. In this course, we emphasize the importance of space in economics. Why do firms cluster in space? What are the consequences for land and real estate markets? How are labour markets affected? What are the consequences for inequality? Why do cities exist? Why do we oftentimes observe convergence between countries but divergence within countries? What are the causes and consequences of mobility of capital, labour, goods and services? Such questions are central in the course 'Regional and Urban Economics'. The topics closely link to intensively debated issues in policy. You will learn to apply insights from this course to these debates using sound theoretical and empirical evidence.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) awards credits based on the ECTS system. Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.