The Growth Performances of the GB Counties: Some New Empirical Evidence for 1977–1993¹

Roberts M. (2004) The growth performances of the GB counties: some new empirical evidence for 1977–1993, Reg. Studies 38, 149–165. This paper presents an empirical analysis of the growth performances of the GB counties between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Most notable amongst the findings is that there existed an X-shaped cluster of counties centred on Buckinghamshire that performed particularly well in the 1980s. The existence of this cluster explains the σ divergence combined with a lack of absolute β convergence found to exist in the data set. These findings are argued to be most consistent with a cumulative causation perspective of the regional growth process operating in the context of specific policy and technology regimes.