Industry Mix Research Articles

Reinvigorating Springfield’s Economy: Lessons from Resurgent Cities

As part of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s commitment to supporting efforts to revitalize the economy of Springfield, Massachusetts, this paper analyzes the economic development approaches of other mid‐sized manufacturing‐oriented cities during the past half century. From among a comparison group of 25 municipalities that were similar to Springfield in 1960, the study identifies 10 “resurgent cities” that have made substantial progress in improving li ving standards for their residents, and that are recognized as vital communities in a broader sense by experts on urban economic development and policy. These case studies suggest that industry mix, demographic composition, and geographic position are not the key factors distinguishing the resurgent cities from Springfield. Instead, the most important lessons from the resurgent cities concern leadership and collaboration. Initial leadership in these cities came from a variety of key institutions and individuals. In some cases, the turnaround started with efforts on the part of the public sector, while in other cases nongovernmental institutions or private developers were at the forefront. Regardless of who initiated the turnaround, economic redevelopment efforts spanned decades and involved collaborations among numerous organizations and sectors.

Characteristics of Local Flow Dynamics and Macro-Mixing in Airlift Column Reactors for Reliable Design and Scale-Up

There has been tremendous development within mixing operations in industry. Incomplete knowledge of this process caused serious economic losses to process industries. For optimum yields and the economic potential that goes with better understanding of mixing, research in this field continues to grow. The major forms of mixing in industry are either by mechanical or pneumatic agitation. Airlift bioreactors achieve mixing through pneumatic agitation and have gained attention over two decades for their fluid dynamic characteristics and low power consumption. It has been widely applied in bioprocess industries for production of biochemicals, to wastewater treatment in which the performance of this reactor has been overwhelming with respect to its production levels as compared to the conventional mechanical agitation.In this review, mixing through mechanical and pneumatic agitation is compared. An extensive literature is distilled from various investigators on the hydrodynamics and mixing characteristics of airlift bioreactors. This review has emphasis on factors that affect mixing such as the geometrical parameters of the vessel, gas flow rate, properties of the liquid medium, sparger design and measuring techniques employed. In an attempt to understand process related issues, sophisticated advances in the measuring techniques provides more insight into mixing in this reactor. Thus extensive correlations have been proposed by various investigators to predict the hydrodynamic and mixing parameters. Some design modifications proposed by several scholars have also been reviewed.

Unterschiede regionaler Wirtschaftskraft – welchen Einfluss hat die Landespolitik?

Different regional economic theories come to different conclusions with regard to the impact of (state) policies on the economic prosperity of regions. This article provides empirical evidence, that determinants like geography, urbanization, industrial mix and social capital explain 71 percent of the variation in GDP per worker among West German regions. All these factors have in common that they cannot, at least in the short run, be influenced by state policies. Determinants like infrastructure and human capital that could be influenced by state policies only explain another 8 percent. These empirical results do not only constrain the significance of those ranking studies currently in vogue, which assume a noteworthy responsibility of states for their own economic situation. These results are also of importance for the political discussion on the reform of German intergovernmental fiscal relations.

THE EFFECTS OF TRADE WITH DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ON THE REGIONAL DEMAND FOR SKILL IN THE U.S.: EVIDENCE FROM COUNTY DATA*

ABSTRACT Using county‐level data from the 1980s and 1990s and a county‐level trade measure that incorporates the county's industrial mix and patterns of international trade across industries, I provide new evidence that trade with developing countries raises the demand for skill and the skill premium in the U.S. Consistent with Heckscher–Ohlin, I find that trade driven by differences in factor endowments has an economically significant impact on local labor markets. The evidence suggests that when trade with developing countries rises, counties with higher skill endowment and greater employment in industries with larger trade shares experience greater relative demand for high‐skilled labor.

Regional productivity differentials in England: Explaining the gap

AbstractSignificant and persistent differences in regional productivity exist across most countries and are the subject of academic and policy concern. We use plant‐level data to examine the determinants of regional productivity differentials across regions of England and demonstrate that substantial differences in regional productivity can be explained by a fairly limited set of variables, including industry mix, capital stock, ownership and skills. Location‐specific factors of travel time and population density are also identified as being important.ResumenExisten diferencias persistentes y significativas en la productividad regional en la mayoría de países y son tema de preocupación académica y política. Utilizamos datos a nivel de fábrica para examinar los determinantes de diferenciales de productividad regional entre regiones de Inglaterra y demostrar que las diferencias sustanciales en productividad regional pueden ser explicadas por un conjunto de variables bastante limitado, incluyendo la mezcla de industrias, stock de capital, propiedad y habilidades. Los factores específicos de localización en duración de desplazamiento al trabajo y densidad de población se han identificado también como importantes.

Techniques for visualization of cavern boundaries in opaque industrial mixing systems

AbstractIn the agitation of complex fluids, the avoidance of caverns is essential for successful blending. Electrical resistance tomography (ERT) and positron emission projection imaging, which can both image within opaque fluids, have been assessed for visualization of cavern boundaries. A vessel of diameter, T = 154 mm, equipped with a single 57 mm diameter six bladed 45° down pumping pitched blade disc turbine formed the test system. The fluid used was aqueous solution of carbopol 940. Both techniques were used to detect and image caverns at Re from 20–86.6 and compared with optical images. Reasonable agreement on the maximum cavern heights and widths were obtained, with the taller and narrower caverns obtained via 3D ERT measurements being attributed to artifacts of the method and interactions between the polymer and tracer. Caverns were also detectable using a robust linear ERT array, which has potential for use within industrial systems. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009

Who Benefits from Increased Government Spending? A State-Level Analysis

We simultaneously identify two government spending shocks: military spending shocks as defined by Ramey (2008) and federal spending shocks as defined by Perotti (2008). We analyze the effect of these shocks on state-level personal income and employment. We find regional patterns in the manner in which both shocks affect state-level variables. Moreover, we find differences in the propagation mechanisms for military versus nonmilitary spending shocks. The former benefits economies with larger manufacturing and retail sectors and states that receive military contracts. While non-military shocks also benefit states with the proper industrial mix, they appear to stimulate economic activity in lower-income states.

Does Income Polarization Affect Economic Growth? The Case of the European Regions

Ezcurra R. Does income polarization affect economic growth? The case of the European regions, Regional Studies. This paper examines the relationship between income polarization and economic growth in the regions of the European Union over the period 1993–2003. The results indicate that the level of income polarization is negatively associated with regional growth. This finding is in fact robust to various alternative specifications including a number of additional explanatory variables, such as initial per capita gross domestic product, industry mix, human capital stock, population density, or market potential. Furthermore, it should be noted that the observed negative correlation between polarization and economic performance does not depend on the number of groups used to analyse the degree of income stratification within the sample regions. Ezcurra R. La polarisation des revenus affecte-t-elle la croissance économique? Le cas des régions européennes, Regional Studies. Cet article étudie les relations entre la polarisation des revenus et la croissance économique dans les régions de l'Union Européenne entre 1993 et 2003. Les résultats indiquent que le niveau de la polarisation des revenus est associé de manière négative au développement régional. Ce résultat conforte en fait diverses autres spécifications y compris un certain nombre de variables explicatives additionnelles comme le PIB par habitant, le mix industriel, le capital humain, la densité de population ou le potentiel des marchés. En outre, il convient de noter que la corrélation négative observée entre la polarisation et les résultats économiques ne dépend pas du nombre de groupes utilisés pour analyser le degré de stratification des revenus dans les régions échantillons. Polarisation des revenus Croissance économique Régions Union Européenne Ezcurra R. Wirkt sich eine Einkommenspolarisierung auf das Wirtschaftswachstum aus? Der Fall der europäischen Regionen, Regional Studies. In diesem Artikel wird die Beziehung zwischen der Einkommenspolarisierung und dem Wirtschaftswachstum in den Regionen der Europäischen Union im Zeitraum von 1993 bis 2003 beschrieben. Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass das Ausmaß der Einkommenspolarisierung in einer negativen Verbindung zum Regionalwachstum steht. Dieses Ergebnis ist darüber hinaus auch bei Verwendung von verschiedenen alternativen Spezifikationen robust, darunter eine Reihe zusätzlicher erklärender Variablen wie z. B. das anfängliche Pro-Kopf-Bruttoinlandsprodukt, der Branchenmix, das Humankapital, die Bevölkerungsdichte oder das Marktpotenzial. Darüber hinaus sollte beachtet werden, dass die beobachtete negative Korrelation zwischen der Polarisierung und der Wirtschaftsleistung nicht von der Anzahl der Gruppen abhängt, die zur Analyse des Ausmaßes der Einkommensstratifizierung innerhalb der untersuchten Regionen herangezogen werden. Einkommenspolarisierung Wirtschaftswachstum Regionen Europäische Union Ezcurra R. ¿Afecta la polarización de la renta al crecimiento económico? El caso de las regiones europeas, Regional Studies. Este trabajo examina la relación entre la polarización de la renta y el crecimiento económico en las regiones de la Unión Europea a lo largo del período 1993–2003. El análisis llevado a cabo indica que el nivel de polarización de la renta influye negativamente en el crecimiento regional. De hecho, este resultado es robusto a distintas especificaciones alternativas que incluyen variables explicativas adicionales como el nivel inicial de PIB por habitante, la estructura sectorial, el stock de capital humano, la densidad de población o el potencial de mercado. Asimismo, cabe señalar que la correlación negativa observada no depende del número de grupos utilizado para analizar el grado de polarización de la renta en las regiones consideradas. Polarización de la renta Crecimiento económico Regiones Unión Europea

A new definition of mixing and segregation: Three dimensions of a key process variable

Although a number of definitions of mixing have been proposed in the literature, no single definition accurately and clearly describes the full range of problems in the field of industrial mixing. An alternate approach is proposed which defines segregation as being composed of three separate dimensions. The first dimension is the intensity of segregation quantified by the normalized concentration variance ( CoV); the second dimension is the scale of segregation or clustering; and the last dimension is the exposure or the potential to reduce segregation. The first dimension focuses on the instantaneous concentration variance; the second on the instantaneous length scales in the mixing field; and the third on the driving force for change, i.e. the mixing time scale, or the instantaneous rate of reduction in segregation. With these three dimensions in hand, it is possible to speak more clearly about what is meant by the control of segregation in industrial mixing processes. In this paper, the three dimensions of segregation are presented and defined in the context of previous definitions of mixing, and then applied to a range of industrial mixing problems to test their accuracy and robustness.

The components of regional disparities in Europe

The aim of this paper is to analyse the components of development disparities across the EU NUTS 2 regions by means of a new method of decomposition of per capita GDP. Decomposition first provides evidence of a remarkable inconsistency of the per capita GDP indicator at regional NUTS 2 level. This is addressed by proposing an “adjusted” development index. The analysis highlights in general the relatively greater importance of productivity and employment differentials over structural features, such as industry mix and demographic structure, although the picture becomes more complex when the focus shifts to the lagging-behind EU regions.

States and the business cycle

We model the US business cycle using a dynamic factor model that identifies common factors underlying fluctuations in state-level income and employment growth. We find three such common factors, each of which is associated with a set of factor loadings that indicate the extent to which each state's economy is related to the national business cycle. According to the factor loadings, there is a great deal of heterogeneity in the nature of the links between state and national economies. In addition to exhibiting geographic patterns, the closeness of state economies to the national business cycle is related not only to differences in industry mix but also to non-industry variables such as agglomeration and neighbor effects. Finally, we find that the common factors tend to explain large proportions of the total variability in state-level business cycles, although, again, there is a great deal of cross-state heterogeneity.

Labor Productivity Differences in China 1987-1997: An Interregional Decomposition Analysis

The literature on regional disparities in China is both broad and deep. Nonetheless, much of its focus has been on the effects of trade liberalization and national policies toward investment in interior provinces. Few pieces have examined whether the disparities might simply be due to differences in industry mix, final demand, or even interregional trade. Using two newly published multiregional input-output tables and disaggregated employment data, we decompose change in labor productivity growth for seven regions of China between 1987 and 1997 into five partial effects—changes in value added coefficients, direct labor requirements, aggregate production mix, interregional trade, and final demand. Subsequently we summarize the contributions to labor productivity of the different factors at the regional level. In this way, we present a new perspective on recent causes of China’s interregional disparity in GDP per capita.

A study of the thermal degradation of poly(vinyl chloride)

A thermal degradation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was studied. This was an essential step in the investigation of the compatibility of PVC-based systems because mixing in industry and in the preparation of materials is carried out in the viscous flow range close to thermal degradation.

THE JOINT CHOICE OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S OCCUPATION AND DESTINATION*

This study examines the relationship between an individual's occupation choice and destination choice. It portrays the relationship as an interaction between the supply of occupational skills by individuals and demand by different labor-market regions. The unusual merger of a multinomial logit model of occupational choice and the conditional logit model of destination choice in a simultaneous equation framework requires derivation of a unique variance–covariance matrix. Results indicate strong association between supply of (migration) and demand for (industry mix) an individual's occupational skills. These effects are especially strong for destinations experiencing slow economic growth, while relatively unimportant for high-growth locations.

P3-114: Survey of variations in the administration and scoring of the ADAS-Cog

The ADAS-Cog is the most commonly used objective primary outcome measure in clinical trials of treatment for dementia. A previous study showed significant variance in materials and procedures in Europe. No similar study has been done in the US. A 22-item questionnaire was distributed at a clinical trials meeting in the US prior to the ADAS-Cog training session. For each item, participants were asked whether they had been instructed to administer or score the ADAS-Cog in different ways between various protocols in which they had participated. Twenty-six raters completed the survey. Participants varied in experience from 1 – 12 years of administering the instrument (5.94 ± 3.64 yrs). Number of total administrations varied from 40 to greater than 1000 (296 ± 288). The number of different protocols in which they used the ADAS-Cog ranged from 3 – 20 (10.6 ± 5) with most raters having a mix of pharmaceutical industry sponsored and government sponsored (ADCS) protocols. Education background also varied widely from 14 – 20 years of education. Significant variability was reported on each of the 22 items queried. Depending on the item, from 19% to 63% of participants reported that they had seen or been trained differently on different protocols. Even in cases where the majority of raters reported they had been trained only one way to administer an item (e.g. 62% indicated they had only been taught one way to respond to an error in the Command section), half of them were taught one way (readminister the item) and the other half were taught the other way (count as error, do not readminister). There is significant variability in the way the ADAS-Cog is taught to be administered and scored between different clinical trials. All raters surveyed indicated some conflicting training. This may lead to reduced reliability and therefore reduced sensitivity of the instrument, and decreases the validity of comparisons between clinical trials.

Analysis of mixing in a Twin Cam mixer using smoothed particle hydrodynamics

AbstractSmoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) is a Lagrangian, particle‐based method that is well suited to industrial mixing simulations. Mass transport is simply the motion of the particles, and its grid‐free nature means that it can easily accommodate complicated geometries involving moving parts and sharp corners. This article describes 2D SPH simulations of a Twin Cam mixer and compares the results against experimental data and results from two published finite element method (FEM) simulations. To analyze the mixing processes in the Twin Cam mixer, we present a method for calculating the Finite‐Time Lyapunov Exponent (FTLE) using SPH particle data. The FTLEs can be used to locate the unstable and stable manifolds in the flow and indicate where mixing is either promoted or inhibited in the flow. We also present a local measure of how two or more fluids are “mixed” at a point in the domain. This is used to find the time‐scales of mixing over different regions in the domain and at different length‐scales. The purpose of the article is to evaluate the effectiveness of SPH, FTLEs, and our mixing measure in simulating and analyzing the mixing in a typical industrial mixer. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2008

The economic performance of cities: A Markov-switching approach

This paper examines the determinants of employment growth in metro areas. To obtain growth rates, we use a Markov-switching model that separates a city's growth path into two distinct phases (high and low), each with its own growth rate. The simple average growth rate over some period is, therefore, the weighted average of the high-phase and low-phase growth rates, with the weight being the frequency of the two phases. We estimate the effects of a variety of factors separately for the high-phase and low-phase growth rates. Growth in the high phase is related to both human capital and industry mix, while growth in the low phase is related to industry mix only, specifically, the relative importance of manufacturing. Overall, our results strongly reject the notion that city-level characteristics influence employment growth equally across the phases of the business cycle.

The Economic Performance of Cities: A Markov-Switching Approach

This paper examines the determinants of employment growth in metro areas. To obtain growth rates, we use a Markov-switching model that separates a city's growth path into two distinct phases (high and low), each with its own growth rate. The simple average growth rate over some period is, therefore, the weighted average of the high-phase and low-phase growth rates, with the weight being the frequency of the two phases. We estimate the effects of a variety of factors separately for the high-phase and low-phase growth rates, along with the frequency of the low phase. We find that growth in the high phase is related to human capital, industry mix, and average firm size. In contrast, we find that growth in the low phase is mostly related to industry mix, specifically, the relative importance of manufacturing. Finally, the frequency of the low phase appears to be related to the level of non-education human capital, but to none of the other variables. Overall, our results strongly reject the notion that city-level characteristics influence employment growth equally across the phases of the business cycle.

Regional Decline of Manufacturing Employment in Japan during an Era of Prolonged Stagnation

Banasick S. and Hanham R. Regional decline of manufacturing employment in Japan during an era of prolonged stagnation, Regional Studies. This paper uses a multivariate shift–share model to analyse the decline in manufacturing employment between 1990 and 2001 in Japan's industrial core and periphery, and in the country's prefectures. The model's regional effect indicates that regional context plays a variable role in shaping regional employment trends. Most prefectures in the periphery have dynamic regional contexts that tend to counter the negative effect of their industrial mix throughout the whole period. Between 1990 and the Asian financial crisis of 1997, most prefectures in the core had depressed regional contexts that failed to counter their negative industrial mix effect. After 1997, industrial restructuring in the core created more dynamic regional contexts to moderate the decline in employment. Banasick S. et Hanham R. Le déclin régional de l'emploi industriel au Japon pendant une époque de stagnation prolongée, Regional Studies. Cet article emploie un modèle de distribution–répartition à plusieurs variables afin d'analyser le déclin de l'emploi industriel dans le centre et à la périphérie industriels japonais entre 1990 et 2001, et dans les préfectures de ce pays. L'effet régional du modèle indique que le contexte régional joue un rôle variable dans la détermination des tendances régionales à l'emploi. La plupart des préfectures situées à la périphérie ont des contextes régionaux dynamiques qui ont tendance à enrayer l'effet négatif de leur structure industrielle pendant toute la période. Entre 1990 et le choc financier asiatique de 1997, la plupart des préfectures situées dans le centre ont des contextes régionaux défavorisés qui ne réussissent pas à enrayer l'effet négatif de leur structure industrielle. Depuis 1997, la restructuration industrielle dans le centre crée davantage de contextes régionaux dynamiques afin de modérer le déclin de l'emploi. Désindustrialisation Emploi industriel Régions Japon Banasick S. und Hanham R. Der regionale Rückgang des Beschäftigungsniveaus in der produzierenden Industrie Japans während eines Zeitraums anhaltender Stagnation, Regional Studies. In diesem Beitrag wird anhand eines multivariaten Shift–Share-Modells der Rückgang des Beschäftigungsniveaus in der produzierenden Industrie Japans in den Jahren von 1990 bis 2001 in den Industriezentren und der Peripherie sowie in den Präfekturen des Landes analysiert. Aus den regionalen Auswirkungen des Modells geht hervor, dass der regionale Kontext bei der Festlegung der regionalen Beschäftigungstrends eine variable Rolle spielt. Die meisten Präfekturen in der Peripherie weisen einen dynamischen Regionalkontext auf, der den negativen Auswirkungen ihrer Industrieverteilung während des gesamten Zeitraums tendenziell entgegenwirkt. Zwischen 1990 und der asiatischen Finanzkrise von 1997 wiesen die meisten Präfekturen im Zentrum einen rückläufigen Regionalkontext auf, der den negativen Auswirkungen ihrer Industrieverteilung nicht entgegenzuwirken vermochte. Nach 1997 schuf die industrielle Umstrukturierung im Zentrum einen dynamischeren Regionalkontext, durch den der Rückgang des Beschäftigungsniveaus gemildert werden konnte. Deindustrialisierung Beschäftigungsniveau in der produzierenden Industrie Regionen Japan Banasick S. y Hanham R. Disminución del empleo regional en el sector manufacturero de Japón durante una era de estancamiento prolongado, Regional Studies. En este ensayo utilizamos un modelo multivariante shift–share para analizar la disminución del empleo en el sector manufacturero entre 1990 y 2001 en el centro y periferia industrial de Japón y en las prefecturas del país. El efecto regional del modelo indica que el contexto regional desempeña un rol variable a la hora de perfilar las tendencias de empleo regional. La mayoría de prefecturas en la periferia muestran contextos dinámicos regionales que tienden a contrarrestrar el efecto negativo de su mezcla industrial en todo el periodo. Entre 1990 y la crisis financiera en Asia de 1997, la mayoría de prefecturas en el centro presentaban una mala situación económica en las regiones que no podía contrarrestrar su efecto negativo en la mezcla industrial. Después de 1997, la reestructuración industrial en el centro creó contextos regionales más dinámicos para moderar la disminución del empleo. Desindustrialización Empleo en el sector manufacturero Regiones Japón

Spatial Dimensions of the Orlando Destination Region

This article aims to empirically examine the concept of a destination region using a case study approach. Two conflicting hypotheses are considered for the spatial structure of tourism in Orlando's destination region: the bubble pattern vis-à-vis a dispersed pattern. Locational concentration and the industrial mix of Orlando's tourist-related firms are examined by analyzing data revealing their location and business specialization. Findings reveal the concentration of the accommodation and dining firms near the theme parks area in a bubble-like pattern. Conversely, smaller scale attractions, convention services, and visitor and professional services tend to locate in high proportions outside of the core area. Implications are discussed from both theoretical and practical perspectives.