The Determinants of Industrial Location in Sweden (1913-1950)

Sammanfattning: This thesis analyses regional industrial concentration and the determinants of industrial location in Sweden during the first half of the twentieth century. First, it is identified how geographical concentration of industry evolved in this country. Second, by estimating an economic geography model, the forces that were behind industrial location are captured. The inclusion of both procedures provides a good picture of the industrialisation phenomenon in Sweden since both present a certain degree of interrelationship. The results show that in none of the Swedish industries there was a significant degree of concentration at the regional level. Moreover, the evidence provided by the model shows that traditional forces were not operating in the process of industrial location. These findings show that Sweden represents a special case when considering the impact of industrialisation in spatial terms.