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The emergence of core-periphery structures in the European Union: a complexity perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Claudius Graebner

    (Institute for Socio-Economics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany; Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria; ZOE. Institue for Future-Fit Economies)

  • Jakob Hafele

    (ZOE. Institue for Future-Fit Economies; Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria)

Abstract
This paper investigates the emergence of polarisation patterns in the EU during the last 60 years from a structuralist and complexity economics perspective. Based on the results, feasible opportunities for EU policy-making, which aim to counteract a tendency of polarization, are delineated. The study comprises of a historical analysis of the politico-economic events during this time and a complementary quantitative analysis of the European trade network. The results suggest that trade in the Eurozone is unequal at the expense of the peripheries and follows a pattern of “unequal technological exchange†. The paper also assesses the usefulness of country taxonomies such as ‘cores’ and ‘peripheries’ for identifying the roots of polarization patterns. While it generally affirms the relevance of structural dependencies, and confirms the epistemic usefulness of country taxonomies, it also highlights three challenges – the challenges of dynamics, of ambiguity and granularity – that any such taxonomy necessarily faces, and which must be dealt with explicitly in any structuralist analysis using such taxonomies.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudius Graebner & Jakob Hafele, 2020. "The emergence of core-periphery structures in the European Union: a complexity perspective," ICAE Working Papers 113, Johannes Kepler University, Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy.
    • Handle: RePEc:ico:wpaper:113
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    2. Claudius Graebner-Radkowitsch, 2022. "Elements of an evolutionary approach to comparative economic studies: complexity, systemism, and path dependent development," ICAE Working Papers 134, Johannes Kepler University, Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy.
    3. Aistleitner, Matthias & Gräbner, Claudius & Hornykewycz, Anna, 2021. "Theory and empirics of capability accumulation: Implications for macroeconomic modeling," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(6).
    4. Jasiecki Krzysztof, 2022. "The coronavirus and center-peripheral relations in the economies of the European Union," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 58(3), pages 235-247, September.
    5. Gräbner-Radkowitsch, Claudius & Hager, Theresa, 2021. "(Mis)measuring competitiveness: the quantification of a malleable concept in the European Semester," ZOE Discussion Papers 8, ZOE. institute for future-fit economies, Bonn.
    6. Jan Weber, Jan Schulz, 2022. "Growing Differently: A Structural Classification for European NUTS-3 Regions," Working Paper Series, Department of Economics, University of Utah 2022_01, University of Utah, Department of Economics.
    7. George Christopoulos & René Wintjes, 2024. "Identifying Clusters as Local Innovation Systems," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 9784-9823, June.
    8. Randolph Luca Bruno & Elodie Douarin & Julia Korosteleva & Slavo Radosevic, 2022. "The Two Disjointed Faces of R&D and the Productivity Gap in Europe," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 580-603, May.

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