Urban spatial structure, employment and social ties

in Journal of Urban Economics (2018), 104(C), 77-93

Consider a model where workers from the majority and the minority group choose both their residential location (geographical space) and the intensity of their social interactions (social space). We ... [more ▼]

Consider a model where workers from the majority and the minority group choose both their residential location (geographical space) and the intensity of their social interactions (social space). We demonstrate under which condition one group resides close to the job center while the other lives far away from it. Even though the two groups have the same characteristics and there is no discrimination in the housing or labor market, we show that the majority group can have a lower unemployment rate whenever it resides close to or far away from the workplace. This is because this group generates a larger and better-quality social network. [less ▲]

Climatic Change and Rural-Urban Migration: The Case of Sub-Saharan Africa

in Journal of Urban Economics (2006), 60(3), 357-371

Endogenous Qualifications and Firms' Agglomeration

in Journal of Urban Economics (2004), 55(3), 458-477

This paper analyzes firms' location when workers endogenously choose to qualify for professional skills but when they remain uncertain about the potential match between their personal abilities and/or ... [more ▼]

This paper analyzes firms' location when workers endogenously choose to qualify for professional skills but when they remain uncertain about the potential match between their personal abilities and/or affinities and the firms' specific production tasks. By qualifying in a region where firms agglomerate, workers benefit from higher prospects of good match. At the equilibrium, we show that firms may locate in a single cluster, symmetric clusters or even asymmetric clusters. Comparative statics with respect to product market demand and labor supply parameters are provided. [less ▲]

Economic Geography and the Distribution of Profits

in Journal of Urban Economics (2004), 56(1), 144-167

In modern economies, the amount of profits distributed to shareholders is far from being negligible. We show that the way they are distributed among agents matters for the space-economy. For example, the ... [more ▼]

In modern economies, the amount of profits distributed to shareholders is far from being negligible. We show that the way they are distributed among agents matters for the space-economy. For example, the existence of mobile rentiers is sufficient to make the symmetric configuration unstable for all transport cost values and to allow for the partial agglomeration of firms. Obviously, to account for profits and for their distribution, the assumption of free entry must be abandoned. So doing, we ignore fixed costs and show that it is the combination of imperfect competition and firms’ indivisibility that matters for the formation of agglomeration in economic geography. [less ▲]