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On the Difficulty of Comparing the Spatial Distribution of Service Industries Across Nations: Contrasting Spain and Canada

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Service Industries and Regions

Part of the book series: Advances in Spatial Science ((ADVSPATIAL))

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Abstract

The spatial distribution of employment in service industries is compared for Spain and Canada for nine (9) industry classes. The empirical and theoretical literature on modern services stresses the importance of agglomeration economies for high-order services. The relationship between city-size and location is examined with emphasis on cases that deviate from predicted patterns. The results for Spain and Canada reconfirm the weight of city-size as a determinant of location for high-order services. However, once one goes beyond this fairly predictable result, national differences in geography, institutions, and development come to the fore, making generalizations more difficult. Unlike most manufacturing industries, the definition and the spatial behavior of many service sectors is highly sensitive to institutional factors, creating unique patterns largely fashioned by national context.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The location quotient (LQ) is defined as: LQij = (Eij/Ej)/(Ei/E); where E is employment, i the industry and j the urban region.

  2. 2.

    Household and Domestic Services are excluded because of low numbers in Canada.

  3. 3.

    It is possible that Spain’s generally lower level of tertiarization introduces a bias. The nine services accounted for 57 % of Spain’s total employment in 2001, compared to 73 % in Canada. However, it is difficult to see what the bias might be since the denominator in the location quotient equation is a constant in both nations.

  4. 4.

    Note that the residuals exhibited normal distributions in all three cases, as would be expected.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. INRS, University of Quebec, Montreal, Canada

    Mario Polèse

  2. Centre Urbanisation Culture Société, Montreal, Canada

    Mario Polèse

  3. University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain

    Fernando Rubiera-Morollón

Authors
  1. Mario Polèse
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  2. Fernando Rubiera-Morollón
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mario Polèse .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Applied Economics, University of Alcala - Madrid, Plaza Victoria 2, Alcalá de Henares, 28802, Spain

    Juan R. Cuadrado-Roura

Description of Industry Classes

Description of Industry Classes

1. Retailing, Wholesaling & Distribution

Food, beverage, and other wholesalers

Grocery and general merchandise stores

Gasoline stations, automobile dealers, automotive parts, repair and maintenance

Shoe and clothing stores

Furniture and home appliances stores

Pharmacies, other stores and retailers

2. Accommodation

Hotels and other traveler accommodation

Rooming and boarding houses

RV and camper parks and recreational camps

Restaurants, other food services, and drinking places

3. Transport, Storage, and Communication

Air, rail, truck, and water transportation

Urban transport

Warehousing and storage

Radio and television broadcasting

Telecommunications

Postal service & couriers

4. Finance & Insurance

Banks & other credit institutions

Securities trading & Portfolio Management

Insurance carriers and related activities

5. Business & Scientific Services and Real Estate

Software, IT services & data processing

Accounting & Management consulting

Advertising and related services

Architects & engineering, scientific and technical services

Legal services

Managers and lessors of real estate

6. Public Administration

National/federal government administration

Provincial and regional public administration

Municipal and local public administration

7. Education

Elementary and secondary schools

Community colleges and other post-secondary

Universities

8. Health

Hospitals & out-patient care centers and homes

Offices of physicians and other health practitioners

Clinics, medical and diagnostic laboratories

9. Personal

Personal, domestic, and laundry services

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Polèse, M., Rubiera-Morollón, F. (2013). On the Difficulty of Comparing the Spatial Distribution of Service Industries Across Nations: Contrasting Spain and Canada. In: Cuadrado-Roura, J. (eds) Service Industries and Regions. Advances in Spatial Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35801-2_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35801-2_15

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-35800-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35801-2

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