Gabriel Lipshitz

Regional inequalities in Israel

This paper deals with the magnitude and dynamics of regional inequalities in Israel during the period 1962–1976. Economic well-being is measured by regional motorization rates, which were found to be highly correlated with personal income levels. Various measures point towards a divergence in regional inequalities, although the rates of change of these measures are declining with time. An analysis of the spatial pattern of the regional levels of economic well-being indicates a well-defined core–periphery structure which is significantly stable over time. Spread and backwash effects are examined within the labour markets of the primary and secondary cores. This examination shows that backwash effects were the dominant factor in shaping the space-economy within the regional systems. The levels of economic well-being within the labour markets were found to be positively related to the levels of the respective cores. From a policy point of view it can be concluded that the persistent pursuit of the national objective of dispersal of population has been concomitant with an increase in the levels of regional inequalities within a national framework, and that backwash effects have caused an increase in the regional imbalances between the cores and their respective peripheries.

Application of the Co-plot Method in the Study of Socio-economic Differences between Cities: A Basis for a Differential Development Policy

Research on regional development devotes little attention to socio-economic distinctions within peripheral and core regions, but rather, stresses disparities between regions. The findings of the present study point to the need to reconsider regional development by placing the main emphasis on the fashioning of a differential regional development policy, together with or in preference to a homogeneous or uniform policy. The significance of this finding transcends the Israeli case (40 development towns). This finding was exposed by the application of a new method, the co-plot. Co-plot enables the simultaneous study of observations and variables for a set of data. Co-plot maps the observations (rows of a matrix) in such a way that similar observations are closely located on the map. Each variable is represented individually by an arrow.

Divergence versus Convergence in Regional Development

The present study is a comparative analysis of various theoretical approaches to the question of divergence versus convergence in regional development. The article examines a number of studies presented in this field. The first section deals with the economic aspect of this subject, while the second discusses population dispersal and polarization in the context of regional development. The third section analyzes the empirical findings on developed and developing countries, as well as Eastern European (formerly Communist bloc) countries. An integrative approach to this field is also proposed.

The stability of spatial patterns of welfare—the Israeli case

Abstract Regional inequality of welfare comprises one of the most serious social problems facing most countries in the world. The present study examines this problem in Israel, by means of two variables found to be suited to the characterization of regional welfare in that country: rate of motorization and level of education. The comparative empirical analysis concerns the period from the early 1960s through the 1970s and into the 1980s, and is in two parts—one, describing changes in the spatial pattern of welfare overtime; and other, examining the extent of stability of the spatial patterns, through regression analysis. The second phase also includes empirical data concerning the divergence or convergence of regional inequalities in Israel during the period studied.

Classification of Development Towns in Israel by Using Multicriteria Decision Aid Techniques

In research on regional development little attention is devoted to socioeconomic distinctions within peripheral and core regions, rather than disparities between regions. This approach is evidently shared by policymakers, who tend to formulate regional development policies without taking account of existing socioeconomic differences within the regions. Development policy for Israels national peripheries is a salient example of a homogeneous development policy. The findings of the present study point to the need to reconsider regional development by placing the main emphasis on the fashioning of a differential regional development policy, together with or in preference to a homogeneous or uniform policy. The findings are obtained through application of a relatively new method of multivariate analysis: ‘multicriteria decision aid’ (MCDA). The study suggests theoretical and methodological considerations in the larger context of regional development.

The main approaches to measuring regional development and welfare

This research shows the lack of consensus in the area of methodology and will present various approaches to the definition and measurement of regional welfare and regional development.

Socio-economic variables as alternatives to income in measuring regional economic Welfare—The Israeli case

It is quite surprising that, while data on national economic growth is published almost annually in most countries, cautious data for the measurement of regional economic welfare is rarely available. The purpose of the present study is to present a methodological disussion of the quality of variables utilized for measuring regional economic welfare over a span of time, in a situation where an “ideal” data base is lacking. The conclusions of the methodological discussion serve as an essential base for the second part of the paper, which deals with the problem of the increasing or decreasing regional inequality of economic welfare in Israel.