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Abstract
This paper aims to shed light on the evolution of regional disparities with respect to eco-
nomic activity, productivity and employment across the European Union. While the „multi-
ple Speeds of Europe“ are a buzzword often quoted to underpin different political strategies
and visions, they are usually not connected to an analysis of the actual inequalities and the
existing trends. We employ the Theil-index of concentration to conduct such an analysis for
191 EU regions from 1991 to 2014, showing the evolution of disparities in terms of regional
GVA, labour productivity and employment, both on the between country and within country
level.
We find a descending trend in disparities following each enlargement period after 2004,
which has however slowed down in the wake of the recession and has since been outpaced
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44. Jahrgang (2018), Heft 2 Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft