How growth and location are sensitive to transport and telecommunication infrastructures?

Abstract

This paper is an extension of the new economic geography and growth model of Martin (1999) which proposes an interesting framework to analyze the effects of the european regional policy. We introduce imperfect interregional knowledge spillovers in this framework which are diffused by two infrastructures: transport and telecommunication infrastructures. If an investment in transport infrastructures may be at the origin of a centrifugal effect through non market interactions, we show that only a policy improving telecommunication can reduce regional inequalities and attain higher aggregate growth rate.