【正文】
economy, agglomeration effects and spillovers of knowledge are likely to promote centralization of activity in the information age as has been the case in the industrial age. ? At the lowend of the knowledge economy, where relative labour intensity is greatest and hence, labour costs more important, developing countries have a clear advantage in labour costs over developing regions of OECD countries. ? The implications of these conclusions for labour in less developed regions are that wage rates in lessdeveloped regions are likely to remain below those in more developed regions. ? Together these points mean that the development disparities within countries of the information economy will have a disproportionately small influence on periphery regions of countries and, in the process, exacerbate the problem of regional disparities ? These conclusions are not immutable. ? Policy can still play a role in promoting less developed regions and hence, in achieving a reduction in regional disparities. ? Regional ine convergence may have important social benefits for a country that make it a worthy goal to pursue: reduce/relieve congestion/pollution/ servicing costs in the center, thereby enhancing quality of life in the center. provide better job opportunities/ines in other parts of the country, thereby enhancing quality of life outside the center. ? The knowledge economy is not a panacea for the problem of regional disparities。 hence, location independent ? Includes information/knowledge industry ? Regional Ine Levels in Europe and North America have been diverging in the last 1520 years after an earlier period of convergence ? In Europe, this is partly due to a mon set of rules for regions at very different levels of development ? It is also partly due to the growth of the service sector as part of the tradeable goods sector