Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics
Discussion Papers,
Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Business and Management Science
No 2008/17: An agent-based computational approach to explaining persistent spatial unemployment disparities
David McArthur (), Inge Thorsen () and Jan Ubøe ()
Additional contact information
David McArthur: Stord/Haugesund University College, Postal: Stord/Haugesund University College, Postboks 5000, N-5409 Stord, Norway
Inge Thorsen: Stord/Haugesund University College, Postal: Stord/Haugesund University College, Postboks 5000, N-5409 Stord, Norway
Jan Ubøe: Dept. of Finance and Management Science, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, Postal: NHH , Department of Finance and Management Science, Helleveien 30, N-5045 Bergen, Norway
Abstract: This paper explores possible reasons for persistent spatial unemployment disparities using agent-based computational methods. The method relies on observing the actions of thousands of individuals within an artificial society. The paper models the effect of unemployment insurance, wage disparities, region specific amenities and innate residential preferences on regional labour market interactions, accounting for both migration and commuting. An empirical example of Rogaland county in south-west Norway is given, where unemployment disparities have proved remarkably persistent for decades. The model provides non-trivial insight into the nature of spatial unemployment disparities as well as making a valuable contribution to the policy debate.
Keywords: Unemployment insurance; wage disparities; region specific amenities; innate residential preferences; regional labour market interactions
30 pages, September 22, 2008
Full text files
163984
- Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Business and Management Science
- Ordering Working Papers
- Home page for this series
Questions (including download problems) about the papers in this series should be directed to Stein Fossen ()
Report other problems with accessing this service to Sune Karlsson ().
RePEc:hhs:nhhfms:2008_017This page generated on 2024-09-13 22:16:22.