Regional accessibility and economic potential in the European community

Keeble D., Owens P. L. and Thompson C. (1982) Regional accessibility and economic potential in the European community, Reg. Studies 16, 419–432. This paper investigates changes in regional accessibility to economic activity within the European Community between 1965 and 1977 as measured by the ‘economic potential’ index. Potential measures proximity by road to regional economic activity as that is geographically distributed throughout the Community, allowing for tariff barriers and sea-ferry crossings, as well as successive enlargements to Nine in 1973 and, prospectively, to Twelve. While 1973 enlargement benefited accessibility levels in the ‘new’ periphery quite considerably, already severe centre-periphery disparities in regional accessibility in general widened still further during the period, largely because of continuing concentration of economic activity in core EC regions.