Abstract
The present study discusses characteristics of hierarchy in systems of centres. How is it that in advanced economies a great number of small centres are provided with decentralized service functions: shops, workshops, comprehensive schools, and so on? How is it that these activities also exist in all larger centres and that new ones are added at every level? Size distribution is another characteristic. Why do we have a large number of small towns, a smaller number that are medium-sized and only a few large cities?
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Notes
The Pareto distribution is usually represented as a log-linear relationship between the size of an element in a size hierarchy, and the number of elements that are greater than, or equal to, this element: log R = log K — q log P: where P is the size and R the number of elements that are greater than, or equal to, P. K is a constant. If q = 1, then K has a value equal to the size of the largest element of the size hierarchy.
Tinbergen’s model is presented in section 2.2.2. The number of ranks was set at eight, the total outputs of the sectors at 1000, except for agriculture, where production was fixed at 2000. There is only one centre in the type of centre of highest rank and two centres in the next lowest rank. Thereafter the ratio between the number of centres of a given rank and the number of centres of the next lowest rank is one to four.
As a rule, a statistical distribution function is consistent with several theories, and conversely, a theory is consistent with several distributions. Richardson (1973b) makes a survey of a dozen different theories on hierarchies of centres. His conclusion is that it is impossible to favour one theory or another on the basis of its prediction, since any one of the observed statistical relationships is compatible with several theories, while many of the individual theories are consistent with more than one of the standard empirical distributions.
Indivisibilities and economies of scale are synonymous in this study.
Subsequently, the synonyms indivisibilities and economies of scale are used alternately.
The structure of centres in socialist countries does not significantly deviate from capitalist market economies (see table 1.1 and Clark, 1967, p. 317). This is probably due to the fact that it is only during recent years that efforts have been made in the Planning Commissions to integrate spatial and economic planning at the national level.
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© 1977 H. E. Stenfert Kroese B.V., Leiden
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Gunnarsson, J. (1977). Definition of the problem and results. In: Production systems and hierarchies of centres. Studies in applied regional science, vol 7. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4247-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4247-2_1
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