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Shift-share analysis
Shift-share analysis
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A shift-share analysis, used in regional science, political economy, and urban studies, determines what portions of regional economic growth or decline can be attributed to national, economic industry, and regional factors. The analysis helps identify industries where a regional economy has competitive advantages over the larger economy. A shift-share analysis takes the change over time of an economic variable, such as employment, within industries of a regional economy, and divides that change into various components. A traditional shift-share analysis splits regional changes into just three components, but other models have evolved that expand the decomposition into additional components.

Overview

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A shift-share analysis attempts to identify the sources of regional economic changes. The region can be a town, city, country, statistical area, state, or any other region of the country. The analysis examines changes in an economic variable, such as migration, a demographic statistic, firm growth, or firm formations, although employment is most commonly used.[1][2] The shift-share analysis is performed on a set of economic industries, like those defined by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The analysis separates the regional economic changes within each industry into different categories. Although there are different versions of a shift-share analysis, they all identify national, industry, and regional factors that influence the variable changes.

Traditional model

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The traditional form of the shift-share analysis was developed by Daniel Creamer in the early 1940s, and was later formalized by Edgar S. Dunn in 1960.[2] Also known as the comparative static model, it examines changes in the economic variable between two years. Changes are calculated for each industry in the analysis, both regionally and nationally. Each regional change is decomposed into three components.[3]

  1. National growth effect is the portion of the change attributed to the total growth of the national economy. It equals the theoretical change in the regional variable had it increased by the same percentage as the national economy.
  2. Industry mix effect is the portion of the change attributed to the performance of the specific economic industry. It equals the theoretical change in the regional variable had it increased by the same percentage as the industry nationwide, minus the national growth effect.
  3. Local share effect is the portion of the change attributed to regional influences, and is the component of primary concern to regional analysts.[3] It equals the actual change in the regional variable, minus the previous two effects.

Formula

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The regional change in the variable e within industry i between the two years t and t+n is defined as the sum of the three shift-share effects: national growth effect (NSi), industry mix effect (IMi), and local share effect (RSi).[4]

The beginning and ending values of the economic variable within a particular industry are eit and eit+n, respectively. Each of the three effects is defined as a percentage of the beginning value of the economic variable.[4]

The total percent change in the economic variable nationwide for all industries combined is G, while the national and regional industry-specific percent changes are Gi and gi, respectively.

These three equations substituted into the first equation yield the following expression (from where the decomposition starts), which simply says that the regional economic variable (for industry i) grows at the speed of the regional industry-specific percent change. Note that usually (in case of slow growth) 0 < gi < 1 and that gi refers to the whole period from t to t+n.

Example

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As an example, a shift-share analysis might be utilized to examine changes in the construction industry of a state's economy over the past decade, using employment as the economic variable studied. Total national employment may have increased 5% over the decade, while national construction employment increased 8%. However, state construction employment decreased 2%, from 100,000 to 98,000 employees, for a net loss of 2,000 employees.

The national growth effect is equal to the beginning 100,000 employees, times the total national growth rate of 5%, for an increase in 5,000 employees. The shift-share analysis implies that state construction would have increased by 5,000 employees, had it followed the same trend as the overall national economy.

The industry mix effect is equal to the original 100,000 employees times the growth in the industry nationwide, which was 8%, minus the total national growth of 5%. This results in an increase in 3,000 employees (100,000 employees times 3%, which is the 8% industry growth minus the 5% total growth). The analysis implies that the state construction would have increased by another 3,000 employees had it followed the industry trends, because the construction industry nationwide performed better than the national economy overall.

The local share effect in this example is equal to the beginning 100,000 employees times the state construction employment growth rate of −2% (it is negative because of the loss of employees), minus the national construction growth rate of 8%. This results in 100,000 employees times -10%, for a loss of 10,000 employees. However, the actual employment loss was only 2,000 employees, but that equals the sum of the three effects (5,000 gain + 3,000 gain + 10,000 loss). The analysis implies that local factors lead to a decrease in 10,000 employees in the state construction industry, because the growth in both the national economy and the construction industry should have increased state construction employment by 8,000 employees (the 5,000 national share effect plus the 3,000 industry mix effect).

Names and regions

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Shift-share analysts sometimes use different labels for the three effects, although the calculations are the same. National growth effect may be referred to as national share.[4][5] Industry mix effect may be referred to as proportional shift.[5] Local share effect may be referred to as differential shift,[3] regional shift,[4] or competitive share.[6]

In most shift-share analyses, the regional economy is compared to the national economy. However, the techniques may be used to compare any two regions (e.g., comparing a county to its state).[7]

Dynamic model

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In 1988, Richard Barff and Prentice Knight, III, published the dynamic model shift-share analysis.[8] In contrast to the comparative static model, which only considers two years in its analysis (the beginning and ending years), the dynamic model utilizes every year in the study period. Although it requires much more data to perform the calculations, the dynamic model takes into account continuous changes in the three shift-share effects, so the results are less affected by the choice of starting and ending years.[8] The dynamic model is most useful when there are large differences between regional and national growth rates, or large changes in the regional industrial mix.[8]

The dynamic model uses the same techniques as the comparative static model, including the same three shift-share effects. However, in the dynamic model, a time-series of traditional shift-share calculations are performed, comparing each year to the previous year. The annual shift-share effects are then totaled together for the entire study period, resulting in the dynamic model's shift-share effects.[8]

Formula

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The regional change in the variable e within industry i between the two years t and t+n is defined as the sum of the three shift-share effects: national growth effect (NSi), industry mix effect (IMi), and local share effect (RSi).[8]

If the study period ranges from year t to year t+n, then traditional shift-share effects are calculated for every year k, where k spans from t+1 to t+n.[8] The dynamic model shift-share effects are then calculated as the sum of the annual effects.[8]

The growth rates used in the calculations are annual rates, not growth from the beginning year in the study period, so the percent change from year k-1 to k in the economic variable nationwide for all industries combined is Gk, while the national and regional industry-specific percent changes are Gik and gik, respectively.[8]

Esteban-Marquillas Model

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In 1972, J.M. Esteban-Marquillas extended the traditional model to address criticism that the regional share effect is correlated to the regional industrial mix.[9] In the Esteban-Marquillas model, the regional share effect itself is decomposed into two components, isolating a regional shift component that is not correlated to the industrial mix.[9] The model introduced a then-new concept to shift-share analyses, a homothetic level of the economic variable within an industry. This is the theoretical value of the variable within an industry assuming the region has the same industrial mix as the nation.[9]

In the Esteban-Marquillas model, the calculations of the national share and industrial mix effects are unchanged. However, the regional share effect in the traditional model is separated into two effects: a new regional share effect that is not dependent on the industrial mix, and an allocation effect that is. The allocation effect indicates the extent to which the region is specialized in those industries where it enjoys a competitive advantage.[9]

Formula

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The regional change in the variable e within industry i between the two years t and t+n is defined as the sum of the four shift-share effects: national growth effect (NSi), industry mix effect (IMi), regional share effect (RSi), and allocation effect (ALi).

The beginning and ending values of the economic variable within a particular industry are eit and eit+n, respectively. The beginning value of the regional homothetic variable within a particular industry is hit.[9] It is based on the regional and national values of the economic variable across all industries, et and Et respectively, and the industry-specific national value Eit.

Each of the four shift-share effects is defined as a percentage of either the beginning value of the economic variable, the homothetic variable, or the difference of the two.[9]

The total percent change in the economic variable nationwide for all industries combined is G, while the national and regional industry-specific percent changes are Gi and gi, respectively.

Arcelus Model

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In 1984, Francisco Arcelus built upon Esteban-Marquillas' use of the homothetic variables and extended the traditional model even further.[10] He used this method to decompose the national share and industrial mix effects into expected and differential components. The expected component is based on the homothetic level of the variable, and is the effect not attributed to the regional specializations. The differential component is the remaining effect, which is attributable to the regional industrial mix.[10]

Arcelus claimed that, even with the Esteban-Marquillas extension, the regional share effect is still related to the regional industry mix, and that the static model assumes all regional industries operate on a national market basis, focusing too heavily on the export markets and ignoring the local markets.[10] In order to address these issues, Arcelus used a different method for separating the regional share effect, resulting in a regional growth effect and a regional industry mix effect. Both of these are decomposed into expected and differential components using the homothetic variable.[10]

Formula

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The regional change in the variable e within industry i between the two years t and t+n is defined as the sum of the eight shift-share effects: expected national growth effect (NSEi), differential national growth effect (NSDi), expected industry mix effect (IMEi), differential industry mix effect (IMDi), expected regional growth effect (RGEi), differential regional growth effect (RGDi), expected regional industry mix effect (RIEi), and differential regional industry mix effect (RIDi).[10]

The eight effects are related to the three traditional shift-share effects from the comparative static model.[10]

The homothetic variable is calculated the same as in the Esteban-Marquillas model. The beginning value of the regional homothetic variable within a particular industry is hit. It is based on the regional and national values of the economic variable across all industries, et and Et respectively, and the industry-specific national value Eit.[10]

Each of the eight shift-share effects is defined as a percentage of either the beginning value of the economic variable, the homothetic variable, or the difference of the two.[10]

The total percent changes in the economic variable nationally and regionally for all industries combined are G and g respectively, while the national and regional industry-specific percent changes are Gi and gi, respectively.

Further reading

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Shift-share analysis is a widely used decomposition technique in that decomposes observed changes in a regional economic variable—such as , output, or —over a specified period into three additive components: the national growth effect, which captures the impact of overall national economic trends; the industry mix effect, which reflects the influence of the region's industrial composition relative to the national average; and the regional shift (or competitive) effect, which isolates unique local factors driving differential performance. This method provides a structured framework for understanding whether regional economic changes stem from external macroeconomic forces, structural differences in industry shares, or region-specific competitiveness. Originating in the early 1940s, shift-share analysis was first articulated by Daniel Creamer in his examination of locational shifts in U.S. industries, building on earlier ideas from reports like the 1940 Barlow Commission. The approach gained formal structure in through the work of Edgar S. Dunn and collaborators, including Harvey Perloff, who outlined the classic three-part decomposition in their analysis of regional growth patterns across U.S. regions. Over subsequent decades, the technique evolved to address limitations, such as static assumptions about industry shares; notable advancements include the dynamic shift-share model proposed by Barff and Knight in 1988, which incorporates time-varying weights, and the Esteban-Marquillas extension in 1972, which adjusts for non-homothetic industry structures. In practice, shift-share analysis is applied retrospectively to evaluate economic performance at various scales, from metropolitan areas to states or countries, often using data on by industry from sources like national statistical agencies. The national growth effect is calculated as the regional base times the national growth rate, the industry mix effect as the difference between national industry-specific and overall growth applied to regional shares, and the regional shift as the residual difference between actual and expected changes. A positive regional shift indicates competitive advantages, such as , labor quality, or , while negative values suggest disadvantages. Commonly employed in , the method informs strategies by highlighting industries with strong local competitiveness for targeted investments or workforce training. Despite its simplicity and interpretability, critics note its descriptive rather than causal nature and sensitivity to base-year choices, leading to integrations with econometric models or input-output frameworks in advanced applications.

Introduction

Definition and Purpose

Shift-share analysis is a technique in that breaks down changes in regional economic indicators, such as or output, into three primary components: a national growth effect reflecting overall economic expansion, an industry composition effect capturing the influence of sectoral mixes, and a regional competitive effect highlighting local advantages or disadvantages. This approach enables the isolation of region-specific factors from nationwide trends and industrial structures, providing a structured way to evaluate why a region's economy may grow faster or slower than expected. The core purpose of shift-share analysis is to identify the drivers of regional economic performance by distinguishing between exogenous influences—like national growth and industry-specific trends—and endogenous ones, such as local competitiveness, thereby supporting targeted strategies and policy formulation. By quantifying these effects, the method helps policymakers and analysts pinpoint thriving sectors for investment or underperforming areas needing intervention, fostering a deeper understanding of structural economic changes at the regional level. Shift-share analysis originated in the post-World War II era of , emerging as a tool to analyze economic disparities and guide efforts amid rapid industrialization and reconstruction. It presupposes basic knowledge of economic indicators, including shares by industry and , to interpret the relative of local economies against benchmarks.

Historical Development

An early precursor to shift-share analysis appeared in the 1940 Barlow Report by the Royal Commission on the Location of the Industrial Population in the , which used a rudimentary form of the technique to assess interregional changes and inform . The method originated in the early with the work of economist Daniel Creamer, who developed it as a method to examine shifts in regional relative to national trends, initially applied to U.S. data on labor distribution across industries. Creamer's approach laid the groundwork for decomposing regional economic changes into national growth, industrial mix, and regional share components, though it remained largely descriptive at this stage. The method gained formal structure in 1960 through the contributions of Edgar S. Dunn Jr. and collaborators, including Harvey Perloff, who refined it into a systematic analytical tool. Dunn's paper "A Statistical and Analytical Technique for Regional Analysis" introduced the "Dunn cross-classification" to better isolate and interpret the interactive effects between national and regional factors. This formalization was influenced by pioneers in regional science, such as Walter Isard, whose 1960 book Methods of Regional Analysis: An Introduction to Regional Science integrated shift-share into broader frameworks for studying spatial economic dynamics and emphasized its role in understanding regional development as a subset of national growth. The collaborative work, including Perloff et al.'s Regions, Resources and Economic Growth, elevated shift-share from an ad hoc measurement to a standardized technique, widely adopted in academic and policy analyses during the 1960s to evaluate employment trends and inform redevelopment strategies in economically distressed areas. Extensions to the core model began in the 1970s, addressing limitations in handling structural changes over time. In 1972, J.M. Esteban-Marquillas proposed a reinterpretation that incorporated homothetic assumptions to separate allocation effects more precisely, enhancing the model's ability to account for differential industry distributions. This was further developed in 1984 by Francisco J. Arcelus, who extended the framework to include additional interaction terms, improving the decomposition of competitive advantages. Meanwhile, efforts to incorporate temporal dynamics traced back to earlier critiques but culminated in the 1988 dynamic model by Richard A. Barff and Prentice L. Knight III, which used continuous growth rates to mitigate biases in static comparisons over extended periods. These advancements solidified shift-share as a cornerstone of regional economic analysis by the late .

Core Methodology

Components of the Traditional Model

The traditional shift-share model decomposes changes in a regional economy, such as or output, into three distinct components that isolate the influences of broader economic trends, sectoral composition, and local factors. This decomposition allows analysts to attribute regional performance to national dynamics, structural characteristics, and competitive elements without implying causation. Developed as a descriptive tool, the model applies to various geographic scales, including states, metropolitan areas, and subnational regions, providing insights into how local economies align with or diverge from national patterns. The national growth effect, also known as the proportional or national share effect, represents the portion of regional change attributable to overall national . It assumes the region grows at the same rate as the nation as a whole, reflecting what the region's would experience if its industry shares remained constant relative to the national total. This component captures the baseline influence of macroeconomic conditions, such as or policy shifts, on the region. For instance, during periods of national recovery, a positive national growth effect would indicate that the region's expansion mirrors broader growth, independent of its unique industrial makeup. The industry mix effect, sometimes termed the structural or differential industry effect, measures the impact of the region's sectoral composition compared to the national average. It accounts for whether the region specializes in industries that expand or contract faster than the national economy overall. A favorable industry mix occurs when a region has a higher concentration in high-growth sectors, contributing positively to its performance beyond national trends; conversely, over-reliance on declining industries yields a negative effect. This component highlights structural advantages or vulnerabilities in the regional economy's diversification. variations include "industry share" or "proportionality effect," emphasizing the role of sectoral specialization. The regional share effect, referred to alternatively as the competitive, differential, or regional shift effect, isolates the residual change after accounting for national growth and industry mix influences. It reflects local factors—such as labor , , , or environments—that drive performance above or below national and structural expectations, indicating a region's competitive edge or disadvantage. A positive regional share suggests "regional advantage," where local conditions enable outperformance in specific industries, while a negative value points to inefficiencies or external challenges unique to the area. This effect is central to identifying levers for enhancing competitiveness. These components are interlinked and additive, summing to the total observed regional change, which enables a clear isolation of the regional share as a measure of localized dynamics. The national growth effect provides the foundational trend, the industry mix adjusts for compositional differences, and the regional share captures idiosyncratic performance, together offering a layered understanding of economic shifts across regions like U.S. states or European metropolitan areas. Variations in , such as "regional drift" for the competitive effect, arise from contextual adaptations but preserve the core logic.

Formula and Calculation

The traditional shift-share model mathematically decomposes the change in regional employment for a specific industry into three additive components: the national growth effect, which captures overall national economic expansion; the industry mix effect, which accounts for the differential growth rates of industries at the national level; and the regional share effect, which isolates the region's or disadvantage relative to the national industry average. This formulation, originally developed by Edgar M. Dunn in 1960, provides a structured way to attribute regional economic changes to broader and local factors. Key notation includes: Erj0E_{rj}^0, the base-period employment in region rr for industry jj; gng_n, the national growth rate across all industries over the period; gnjg_{nj}, the national growth rate specific to industry jj; and grjg_{rj}, the growth rate of industry jj in region rr. These variables are typically derived from data spanning two time periods, such as years, with growth rates calculated as (EtE0)/E0(E^t - E^0)/E^0, where superscript tt denotes the end period. The core equation for the change in regional industry , ΔErj\Delta E_{rj}, is expressed as: ΔErj=gnErj0+(gnjgn)Erj0+(grjgnj)Erj0\Delta E_{rj} = g_n E_{rj}^0 + (g_{nj} - g_n) E_{rj}^0 + (g_{rj} - g_{nj}) E_{rj}^0 Here, the first term represents the national effect, the second the industry mix effect, and the third the regional share effect. To compute these for a single industry, one first calculates the growth rates gng_n, gnjg_{nj}, and grjg_{rj} from available , then multiplies each differential by the base Erj0E_{rj}^0. For the total regional economy, the effects are aggregated across all industries jj: the total national effect is jgnErj0=gnEr0\sum_j g_n E_{rj}^0 = g_n E_r^0, where Er0=jErj0E_r^0 = \sum_j E_{rj}^0; the total industry mix effect is j(gnjgn)Erj0\sum_j (g_{nj} - g_n) E_{rj}^0; and the total regional share effect is j(grjgnj)Erj0\sum_j (g_{rj} - g_{nj}) E_{rj}^0. This summation verifies that the overall regional employment change ΔEr=jΔErj\Delta E_r = \sum_j \Delta E_{rj} equals the sum of the three total effects, ensuring the decomposition is exhaustive. The model assumes a static between two discrete periods, treating growth rates as constant within each period and applying uniform national growth to all regions in the absence of industry-specific or regional factors. It further presumes that national trends provide a neutral benchmark, with deviations attributable solely to industrial composition and local competitiveness.

Example and Interpretation

To illustrate the traditional shift-share model, consider a hypothetical example of changes in a , such as , from 1950 to 1960, drawing on the style of historical analyses from that era. Suppose the state's sector employed 1,000,000 workers in 1950, while the national economy grew by 5% over the decade, the national sector grew by 3%, and the state's sector actually grew by 6%, reaching 1,060,000 workers by 1960. This setup allows decomposition of the total 60,000-job increase into the three components. The calculation begins with input data: base-year (1950) employment for the state’s manufacturing industry (Eir0=1,000,000E_{ir0} = 1,000,000), national growth rate (rn=0.05r_n = 0.05), national industry growth rate for (rjn=0.03r_{jn} = 0.03), and regional industry growth rate (rir=0.06r_{ir} = 0.06).
  • National growth effect: This measures the expected change if the region grew at the national average rate: Eir0×rn=1,000,000×0.05=50,000E_{ir0} \times r_n = 1,000,000 \times 0.05 = 50,000 jobs (a +5% share of the base).
  • Industrial mix effect: This captures the industry's deviation from national trends: Eir0×(rjnrn)=1,000,000×(0.030.05)=20,000E_{ir0} \times (r_{jn} - r_n) = 1,000,000 \times (0.03 - 0.05) = -20,000 jobs (a -2% share, reflecting 's slower national performance).
  • Regional share effect: This isolates local factors: Eir0×(rirrjn)=1,000,000×(0.060.03)=30,000E_{ir0} \times (r_{ir} - r_{jn}) = 1,000,000 \times (0.06 - 0.03) = 30,000 jobs (a +3% share). The total shift aggregates to 50,000 - 20,000 + 30,000 = 60,000 jobs, matching the observed +6% net growth.
ComponentCalculationJobs Gained/LostPercentage Share
National Growth1,000,000×0.051,000,000 \times 0.05+50,000+5%
Industrial Mix1,000,000×(0.030.05)1,000,000 \times (0.03 - 0.05)-20,000-2%
Regional Share1,000,000×(0.060.03)1,000,000 \times (0.06 - 0.03)+30,000+3%
Total ChangeSum of components+60,000+6%
Interpreting these results provides insights into regional dynamics: the positive national effect indicates broad benefiting the state, while the negative mix effect highlights manufacturing's relative national weakness, possibly due to structural shifts toward services. The positive regional share (+3%) signals local competitiveness, such as through , labor advantages, or policy support, suggesting the state outperformed national trends and could target similar "winner" industries for growth strategies. The model can be adapted beyond to measure changes in output or GDP by substituting those metrics for EE, using growth rates in or production instead; for instance, applying it to state GDP shares in from 1950-1960 data would reveal competitive advantages in high-value subsectors like .

Advanced Models

Dynamic Model

The dynamic shift-share model extends the traditional static framework by addressing its key limitation: the assumption of constant national and industry-specific growth rates throughout the period. Instead, it employs period-specific growth rates to compute the national, industrial mix, and regional (competitive) components annually, then sums these effects across multiple periods for a cumulative assessment. This approach enables more accurate of or output changes over extended time horizons, where growth patterns may fluctuate due to economic cycles or structural shifts. Developed by Barff and in , the model was motivated by the need to mitigate biases in static analyses, particularly when regional growth deviates significantly from national trends over time. The core formula for the total change in regional industry employment, ΔErj\Delta E_{rj}, under the dynamic model is: ΔErj=t[NtErjt1]+t[(gjtgnt)Erjt1]+t[(grjtgjt)Erjt1]\Delta E_{rj} = \sum_t \left[ N_t \cdot E_{rj}^{t-1} \right] + \sum_t \left[ (g_j^t - g_n^t) \cdot E_{rj}^{t-1} \right] + \sum_t \left[ (g_{rj}^t - g_j^t) \cdot E_{rj}^{t-1} \right] Here, the summation occurs over all periods tt; Erjt1E_{rj}^{t-1} denotes employment in regional industry jj at the start of period tt; NtN_t (or equivalently gntg_n^t) is the national growth rate in period tt; gjtg_j^t is the national growth rate for industry jj in period tt; and grjtg_{rj}^t is the regional growth rate for industry jj in period tt. The first term captures the national growth effect, the second the industrial mix effect, and the third the regional competitive effect, each recalculated using the updated employment base from the prior period. This iterative process ensures that subsequent periods build on prior outcomes, reflecting compounding dynamics. A primary advantage of the dynamic model lies in its ability to capture temporal variations in growth rates, providing a nuanced view of how regional performance evolves relative to national benchmarks. For example, if a region's industry experiences rapid expansion in early periods but stagnation later, the model attributes effects accordingly, avoiding the averaging distortions of the static method. Barff and Knight demonstrated this in their analysis of employment growth from 1939 to 1984, where dynamic calculations revealed shifting competitive advantages in high-technology sectors amid national economic recoveries. Overall, it reduces estimation bias in multi-decade studies by incorporating continuous updates to the base and growth rates, yielding more reliable insights into long-term regional competitiveness. In contrast to the traditional model, which applies a single set of growth rates derived from endpoint , the dynamic variant accumulates effects through period-by-period computations, better approximating actual growth trajectories and minimizing under- or overestimation of components in volatile economies.

Esteban-Marquillas Model

The Esteban-Marquillas model, proposed by J. M. Esteban-Marquillas in , extends the traditional shift-share framework by further decomposing the regional share effect to distinguish between structural influences and pure competitive advantages at the industry level. This approach addresses a key limitation in the classical model, where the regional component conflates a region's inherent competitiveness with biases stemming from its unique industrial composition relative to the national average. By isolating these elements, the model enables analysts to assess whether observed growth deviations arise from structural factors, such as over- or under-specialization in certain industries, or from region-specific efficiencies and market dynamics. Central to the model is the introduction of homothetic employment, defined as the hypothetical employment in industry j for region r at the base period if the region mirrored the national industrial structure:
Hrj0=Er0Enj0En0,H_{rj}^0 = E_r^0 \cdot \frac{E_{nj}^0}{E_n^0},
where Er0E_r^0 and En0E_n^0 are the base-period total employment in the region and nation, respectively, and Enj0E_{nj}^0 is the national base-period employment in industry j. This contrasts with the actual base-period regional employment Erj0E_{rj}^0. The location quotient Lrj=Erj0/Er0Enj0/En0L_{rj} = \frac{E_{rj}^0 / E_r^0}{E_{nj}^0 / E_n^0} quantifies the structural deviation, with Hrj0=Erj0/LrjH_{rj}^0 = E_{rj}^0 / L_{rj}.
The regional share effect from the traditional model, jErj0(grjgnj)\sum_j E_{rj}^0 (g_{rj} - g_{nj}), where grjg_{rj}, gnjg_{nj}, and gng_n denote the growth rates for region r-industry j, national industry j, and national overall, respectively, is reformulated as the sum of two components:
  • Competitive effect: jHrj0(grjgnj)\sum_j H_{rj}^0 (g_{rj} - g_{nj}), which applies the regional growth differential to the homothetic base, capturing performance independent of structural biases.
  • Allocative (structural) effect: j(Erj0Hrj0)(grjgnj)=jHrj0(Lrj1)(grjgnj)\sum_j (E_{rj}^0 - H_{rj}^0) (g_{rj} - g_{nj}) = \sum_j H_{rj}^0 (L_{rj} - 1) (g_{rj} - g_{nj}), which measures the interaction between compositional differences (via Lrj1L_{rj} - 1) and the regional growth differential, highlighting how specialization amplifies or dampens competitiveness.
    This decomposition ensures additivity to the original regional effect while providing granular insights into industry-specific drivers. For instance, a positive allocative effect indicates that a region's over-specialization ( Lrj>1L_{rj} > 1 ) in fast-growing industries relative to the nation enhances overall performance.
The model's lies in purging the competitive measure of structural , allowing policymakers to target interventions more accurately—such as fostering competitiveness in underperforming sectors without conflating it with mix effects. Empirical applications often reveal that regions with high allocative effects benefit from aligning specializations with high-growth industries, though negative values signal vulnerabilities from concentration in declining sectors. In recent years, the Esteban-Marquillas model, particularly its industry-level variant (EM2), has experienced renewed interest for analyzing unbalanced growth in the context of and . A 2023 study applied EM2 to data in Province, , demonstrating its utility in decomposing industrial imbalances and informing strategies by linking structural shifts to environmental and outcomes.

Arcelus Model

The Arcelus model represents an advanced extension of that incorporates industry-specific growth elasticities to address the traditional model's assumption of uniform national growth impacts across all sectors. Proposed by Francisco J. Arcelus in 1984, this approach refines the decomposition by accounting for varying degrees of industry responsiveness to national economic trends, thereby providing a more nuanced assessment of regional performance in heterogeneous economies. Central to the model is the modification of the regional (or competitive) effect, which isolates local factors after adjusting for differential national influences. The for the modified regional effect is given by: (grjβjgn)Erj0(g_{rj} - \beta_j \cdot g_n) \cdot E_{rj}^0 where grjg_{rj} denotes the observed regional growth rate for industry jj, gng_n is the national growth rate, βj\beta_j is the industry-specific elasticity measuring the responsiveness of regional growth in sector jj to national growth, and Erj0E_{rj}^0 is the initial base-year in the region for that industry. This adjustment corrects for non-uniform growth patterns by scaling the national effect according to each industry's elasticity, ensuring that the regional component better reflects true local competitiveness rather than artifacts of sectoral differences. The primary purpose of the Arcelus model is to enhance the accuracy of shift-share decompositions in economies where industries exhibit disparate sensitivities to aggregate trends, such as in regions with mixed and service sectors. By introducing βj\beta_j, typically estimated via regression of regional growth on national growth for each industry, the model mitigates biases in the traditional approach and yields more reliable insights into . This makes it particularly valuable for applications in analyzing trade-induced shifts, where elasticities capture varying export propensities, and productivity differentials, where sector-specific responses to technological or changes can be quantified. For instance, in a study of U.S. regional , the model revealed that high-elasticity sectors like drove disproportionate regional gains beyond national averages. In contrast to the Esteban-Marquillas decomposition, which refines the shift component into structural and allocative elements without elasticity adjustments, the Arcelus model prioritizes growth responsiveness to offer complementary refinements for interpreting competitive advantages in diverse industrial mixes.

Applications

Regional Economic Analysis

Shift-share analysis serves as a key tool in regional economic analysis by decomposing changes into national growth, industry mix, and regional share components, thereby identifying industries where regions exhibit competitive advantages or disadvantages. In the Appalachian region, a 2021 study by the applied this method to data from 2005 to 2018 across 420 counties, revealing negative regional shares in sectors such as textile mills and paper products, which contributed to overall declines of over 913,000 jobs relative to national trends. These findings highlighted locational disadvantages in traditional , while pinpointing competitive strengths in sectors like ambulatory and food services. Beyond domestic industries, shift-share analysis extends to and , decomposing shares and growth to assess regional competitiveness. A working paper utilized shift-share techniques to analyze changes in shares among economies from 1995 to 2006, attributing variations to global effects, commodity-specific trends, and competitiveness shifts, which helped identify regions gaining or losing market positions in key exports like machinery and chemicals. In , the approach has been applied to evaluate growth in U.S. regions. A notable involves New Mexico's shifts in the sector from the 2000s, where shift-share analysis of rural counties from 2000 to 2007 demonstrated strong competitive advantages in natural resources and . Such advantages underscored the state's locational benefits in , gas, and extraction amid national demands. To enhance understanding of broader economic impacts, shift-share analysis is often integrated with input-output models, allowing researchers to estimate multiplier effects from identified regional shifts. This combination quantifies how competitive gains in one sector, such as , propagate through inter-industry linkages to amplify and output in related areas like transportation and .

Policy and Planning Uses

Shift-share analysis plays a key role in targeting by identifying sectors with positive regional shares, which indicate local competitive advantages, allowing policymakers to prioritize investments in those areas to enhance growth. For instance, the U.S. (EDA) incorporates shift-share analysis in Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) to guide grant allocations toward regions and industries demonstrating strong regional competitive effects, such as in or services, thereby supporting targeted and resilience initiatives. In , shift-share analysis informs urban development strategies by decomposing changes to highlight structural strengths and weaknesses, aiding in the allocation of resources like cohesion funds to reduce disparities. The European Commission's cohesion evaluations often employ shift-share methods to assess how structural funds influence regional growth differentials, enabling planners to direct investments toward sectors with favorable industry mixes in lagging areas. Dynamic variants of shift-share analysis further support by incorporating time-series data to project future regional trends. A practical example is found in Australian regional competitiveness studies, where shift-share analysis has been applied to the Sunshine Coast to evaluate growth in the services sector, particularly and social assistance, revealing positive regional competitive effects that inform local investment priorities for . Additionally, shift-share designs serve as instrumental variables in econometric evaluations of policy impacts, providing on effects like or shocks on local economies, with recent advancements in 2023 addressing exclusion restrictions to improve reliability in policy assessments.

Limitations and Criticisms

Methodological Weaknesses

Shift-share analysis, in its classical form, operates under static assumptions that limit its ability to capture the dynamic nature of economic processes. The method compares or output levels between a base period and an end period, thereby ignoring intermediate changes in sectoral structure and regional competitiveness over time. This static approach also fails to account for inter-period dynamics, such as effects where regional growth exceeding national rates leads to underestimation of the national growth component. Furthermore, traditional models overlook spatial spillovers, treating regions as isolated entities without considering interregional influences like or labor mobility that affect local growth. Data requirements pose significant challenges for the reliability of shift-share analysis. The technique relies heavily on aggregated sectoral data, which obscures variations at finer levels of disaggregation and reduces the comparability of results across studies. Results are particularly sensitive to the choice of base year, as the temporal representation of regional structure—whether using base-year or end-year weights—can alter the sign and magnitude of key components, such as the allocation effect, leading to inconsistent interpretations. For small regions, the method is especially weak due to higher reliance on imports, lower diversification, and instability in share estimates, which amplify errors from limited data availability. A core uniformity bias in classical shift-share analysis stems from the assumption that national industry growth rates apply equally to all regions, disregarding structural differences in local economies. This constant share hypothesis is unrealistic, as it implies uniform applicability of national trends without adjusting for regional-specific factors like resource endowments or institutional variations. Similarly, the constant shift assumption presumes unchanging regional competitiveness, which contradicts expectations of where advantages may erode over time. As a primarily descriptive tool, shift-share analysis exhibits forecasting limitations without additional modifications. The regional share component lacks stability over time, making projections unreliable as competitive effects fluctuate unpredictably across periods. Empirical tests confirm that neither constant share nor constant shift assumptions hold for predictive purposes, rendering the method inadequate for anticipating future growth without dynamic adjustments. Advanced models, such as dynamic variants, partially remedy these issues by incorporating time-varying weights, though they do not fully resolve underlying and spatial concerns.

Challenges in Interpretation

One major challenge in interpreting shift-share analysis lies in establishing , particularly with the regional share component, which is often misconstrued as a direct measure of local competitiveness or . However, this component may instead capture unmodeled factors such as labor migration patterns, government policies, or agglomeration economies that influence without reflecting inherent regional advantages. For instance, influxes of workers due to policy incentives can inflate regional shares without indicating superior competitiveness, leading analysts to draw erroneous causal inferences about economic drivers. Contextual biases further complicate interpretation, as results are highly sensitive to the choice of reference region and the assumption of regional independence. Using a national economy as the benchmark may overlook peer-group dynamics among similar states or regions, potentially exaggerating or downplaying local performance; for example, comparing Appalachian counties to the U.S. overall yields different outcomes than benchmarking against neighboring areas, biasing assessments of structural strengths. Additionally, the method's failure to account for interregional interdependencies, such as supply chain linkages or spillover effects, can overemphasize "winner" industries in one area while ignoring how gains in one region may stem from losses elsewhere, distorting holistic views of economic interconnectedness. Misuse in policy formulation arises when positive regional shifts are equated with sustainable advantages, disregarding external shocks that temporarily alter outcomes. During the 2007-2009 , for example, some regions appeared resilient due to short-term policy interventions like bailouts, but shift-share results masked underlying vulnerabilities in low-productivity sectors, leading to misguided investments that prolonged inefficiencies. Such interpretations ignore how shocks like recessions can confound shifts, prompting policies that favor retention of declining industries over structural reforms. Comparative assessments highlight the need for robust benchmarks, a point emphasized in critiques where shift-share was faulted for lacking standardized comparisons beyond basic national trends. Early literature argued that without supplementary benchmarks, such as variance analysis or peer controls, the technique's descriptive outputs invite subjective judgments on regional performance, undermining its reliability for cross-regional evaluations. Fothergill and Gudgin (1979) defended the method's utility but acknowledged these interpretive hurdles, stressing the importance of contextual validation to avoid overreliance on isolated shifts.

Recent Developments

Spatial and Interregional Extensions

Recent developments in shift-share analysis have extended the classical models to incorporate spatial dimensions, accounting for geographic interactions and spillovers that influence regional economic performance. Building on foundational approaches like those of Dunn and Esteban-Marquillas, spatial shift-share analysis introduces neighborhood effects through spatial weights, enabling a more nuanced decomposition of growth components. A key 2021 formulation by Montanía et al. classifies regions based on their performance in national, neighborhood, and regional contexts, revealing how local spillovers contribute to competitive advantages or disadvantages. This spatial extension employs a row-standardized spatial weight matrix, typically based on k-nearest neighbors (e.g., k=5), to capture spillover effects from adjacent regions. The model decomposes regional sectoral growth gi,rxt,i,rg_{i,r} x_{t,i,r} into components including neighborhood total effect (NTE), neighborhood industry mix (NIM), neighborhood competitive effect (NCE), regional industry mix effect (RIE), neighborhood regional shift effect (NRSE), and residual effect (RE): gi,rxt,i,r=wgxt,i,r+(wgiwg)xt,i,r+(grwgi)xt,i,r+(gig)xt,i,r+(gwg)xt,i,r+(wggr)xt,i,rg_{i,r} x_{t,i,r} = wg x_{t,i,r} + (wg_i - wg) x_{t,i,r} + (g_r - wg_i) x_{t,i,r} + (g_i - g) x_{t,i,r} + (g - wg) x_{t,i,r} + (wg - g_r) x_{t,i,r} where ww is the spatial weight, gg is the national growth rate, gig_i is the national industry ii growth rate, grg_r is the regional growth rate for region rr, and xt,i,rx_{t,i,r} is the base-period value. Regions are then categorized into 12 types per context (e.g., T1 as national growth leaders with positive mix and competitive effects), facilitating targeted policy insights for . Spatial dependence is assessed using statistic, which confirms in regional variables like agricultural gross value added (e.g., I=0.216, p<0.01 for Spanish NUTS-3 regions, 2013–2017). Complementing this, interregional input-output shift-share models from around 2020–2022 integrate multi-dynamic s to link regions via trade flows, capturing intersectoral dependencies and dynamic changes over time. These models extend traditional shift-share by incorporating input-output tables to trace how sectoral growth in one region affects others through and final demand linkages. The multi-dynamic interregional input-output shift-share identifies drivers of while accounting for evolving trade patterns, applied empirically to U.S. regional data to highlight interregional spillovers in and output. Applications of these spatial and interregional extensions include analyzing productivity shifts across regions. These methods also address spatial autocorrelation in regional datasets, using and local indicators of spatial association (LISA) to detect clustering in growth and competitive effects, as demonstrated in French manufacturing employment analysis (1994–2015) where positive autocorrelation (e.g., at 150 km cut-off) underscores the role of geographic proximity in productivity dynamics. The 2021 spatial approach was applied to agricultural in 47 Spanish NUTS-3 regions (2013–2017), revealing drivers of changes influenced by national trends, sectoral mixes, and local competitiveness adjusted for spatial spillovers.

Comprehensive and Integrated Approaches

Comprehensive and integrated approaches in shift-share analysis extend traditional decompositions by incorporating regional-specific factors, sectoral interdependencies, and additional interaction terms to provide a more holistic explanation of economic changes. These methods address shortcomings in classical models, such as the inability to fully disentangle regional competitiveness from national trends or to account for dynamic structural shifts, thereby offering deeper insights into the drivers of regional growth or decline. By integrating multiple layers of analysis, they facilitate more precise identification of policy-relevant factors, such as intrinsic regional advantages or vulnerabilities. A seminal contribution is the extended and integrated framework developed by Dinc and Haynes in 1997, which builds on conventional shift-share by embedding intrinsic regional conditions and sectoral interactions into the process. This approach enhances the technique's analytical capacity, allowing for the detection of structural changes, identification of growth sectors, and of causal factors in regional economies. Applied to the , it revealed key sectoral shifts influenced by local competitive dynamics beyond national growth patterns, demonstrating the model's utility in urban economic studies. Earlier, Barff and Knight (1988) proposed a dynamic shift-share model incorporating time-varying weights. More recently, Montanía et al. (2024) proposed a comprehensive shift-share formulation that systematically accounts for all interactions between geographical units and sectors in a non-spatial context. Extending Dunn's (1960) foundational model, it decomposes regional sectoral growth ΔXij\Delta X_{ij} into six components using four growth rates: national economy (GG), national sector (GiG_i), regional economy (gig_i), and regional sector (gijg_{ij}): ΔXij=GXij,t+(GiG)Xij,t+(gijGi)Xij,t+(giG)Xij,t+(Ggi)Xij,t+(Gigij)Xij,t\Delta X_{ij} = G X_{ij,t} + (G_i - G) X_{ij,t} + (g_{ij} - G_i) X_{ij,t} + (g_i - G) X_{ij,t} + (G - g_i) X_{ij,t} + (G_i - g_{ij}) X_{ij,t} This yields traditional terms like the national effect (NE), industry mix (IM), and competitive effect (CE), alongside new intrinsic regional components: Regional Industry Mix Effect (RIE = (giG)Xij,t(g_i - G) X_{ij,t}), Regional Sectoral Effect (RSE = (Ggi)Xij,t(G - g_i) X_{ij,t}), and Regional Competitive Effect (RCCE = (Gigij)Xij,t(G_i - g_{ij}) X_{ij,t}). Illustrated with industrial gross value added data across 47 Spanish NUTS-3 peninsular provinces from 2015 to 2019, the model highlighted intrinsic regional effects—particularly positive RIE in 28 regions and RSE in 34—as dominant drivers of disparities, with broader implications for EU-wide productivity convergence, outperforming simpler models in revealing policy-targeted vulnerabilities. These integrated methods improve upon earlier formulations like Esteban-Marquillas by reducing overlap in components and enhancing interpretability, though they require more granular for accurate . Their adoption in empirical studies underscores a shift toward multifaceted analyses that better inform strategies. Further recent advancements as of 2025 include causal shift-share instruments proposed by Borusyak et al. (2024), which address endogeneity issues in traditional shift-share by instrumenting local industry shares with historical or national variations, enabling more robust for evaluation. Additionally, a 2025 study compares shift-share analysis with multifactor partitioning, demonstrating how aggregation biases in SSA can mask underlying economic drivers, particularly in multi-level U.S. data from 2005–2019. These extensions enhance the method's applicability in econometric and contexts.

References

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