Piet H. Pellenbarg

The demography of firms in the Netherlands: introduction to the 2003 maps

Knowledge of the basics of demography is rather widespread. To be able to understand the growth or decline of a population and to predict its future development, one has to look at birth and death rates, and migration. For a deeper understanding, one also needs information about ages and rates of marriage, and the nature and duration of migrations. The same principles hold when the analysis of populations of firms is concerned instead of populations of people. A thorough explanation of regional economic growth or decline requires the availability and analysis of data on the components of regional economic change, i.e. entry and exit of firms, firm migration, and growth and decline of existing firms. Deeper understanding is possible by looking at mergers and acquisitions and by differentiating between short and long distance relocations of firms. Like in population demography, such analysis concerns both the understanding of actual situations and the possible prediction of future developments. Depending on the dominance of any of its components, regional economic development may have very different underlying causes and accordingly, regional economic problems may ask for very different remedies.

What's in a Frisian business name? Regional identity in the Netherlands

In this paper data is presented that gives indications that Fryslân, being the only minority language region in the Netherlands, can be considered to have a distinct regional economy in the Dutch context. Therefore, information is given about the extent of regional identification in business names all over the Netherlands. Reference is made to the theoretical work of Rose and the empirical investigations of Zelinsky and Pellenbarg. Interviews in business firms in Fryslân are described. Fryslân appears to have a special position in the Netherlands in that there is a relatively strong identification by entrepreneurs with the province using the name of that region in business names but particularly by using the regional language, Frisian, for that purpose. There are strong indications that Fryslân also has a distinct regional economic development in the Dutch context because of the bilingual situation. The paper ends with an evaluation and with policy recommendations for the Provincial Government of Fryslân. Copyright Royal Dutch Geographical Society 2001.

The Changing Firm Landscape and Firm Location Behaviour

The landscape of firms in the Netherlands is changing in such a way that small firms increasingly dominate the Dutch economy. This development suggests a re-evaluation of how firm location decisions are made, which factors are important and consequently the dynamics in firm location and relocation. This chapter argues that the borders of the firm become permeable as the average firm size declines: Non-firm considerations, including residential preferences and other job locations in the family, play an increasingly important role in the firm location decision process. Also, the physical spaces of the residence and the firm premises overlap more often than ever. Rather than regarding the location of the firm as a reflection of the optimal firm location, it is arguably better viewed as a part of the larger locational puzzle people and households face.