Migraciones interregionales en España (1960-1989): cambios y barreras

En este trabajo se analizan los cambios en el patrón de las migraciones interiores españolas a lo largo del período 1960-1989. De forma preliminar y de acuerdo con las teorías explicativas de los flujos migratorios, se contrasta econométricamente la consistencia de estos cambios con la existencia de sistemas regionales económicamente desequilibrados versus sistemas regionales con diferencias compensadoras. Como resultado, se encuentra que a pesar de la reciente intensificación de las migraciones interiores y a diferencia de lo sucedido en otras etapas y bajo otras circunstancias, ahora no se debería confiar en que los movimientos migratorios puedan contribuir al acercamiento a la media nacional de las regiones con tasas de desempleo más elevadas. Esta vía podría haberse agotado en la medida en que el peso de las barreras procedentes de los mercados de trabajo y de los mercados inmobiliarios es creciente y, paradójicamente, ha generado flujos inte-rregionales equilibrados y no polarizados. Si, además, la posibilidad de que la emigración cumpla un papel dinamizador del ajuste económico se ve afectada por el componente de desempleo de los trabajadores que se desplazan, entonces las políticas públicas no deberían centrarse en la incentivación de los flujos de forma indiscriminada sino, más bien, en los aspectos microeconómicos referentes a la disponibilidad de información, la orientación y la capacitación de los potenciales trabajadores emigrantes.

An evolutive approach for the delineation of local labour markets

This paper presents a new approach to the delineation of local labour markets based on evolutionary computation. The main objective is the regionalisation of a given territory into functional regions based on commuting flows. According to the relevant literature, such regions are defined so that (a) their boundaries are rarely crossed in daily journeys to work, and (b) a high degree of intra-area movement exists. This proposal merges municipalities into functional regions by maximizing a fitness function that measures aggregate intra-region interaction under constraints of inter-region separation and minimum size. Real results are presented based on the latest database from the Census of Population in the Region of Valencia. Comparison between the results obtained through the official method which currently is most widely used (that of British Travel-to-Work Areas) and those from our approach is also presented, showing important improvements in terms of both the number of different market areas identified that meet the statistical criteria and the degree of aggregate intra-market interaction.

A memetic algorithm for the delineation of local labour markets

Given a territory composed of basic geographical units, the delineation of local labour market areas (LLMAs) can be seen as a problem in which those units are grouped subject to multiple constraints. In previous research, standard genetic algorithms were not able to find valid solutions, and a specific evolutionary algorithm was developed. The inclusion of multiple ad hoc operators allowed the algorithm to find better solutions than those of a widely-used greedy method. However, the percentage of invalid solutions was still very high. In this paper we improve that evolutionary algorithm through the inclusion of (i) a reparation process, that allows every invalid individual to fulfil the constraints and contribute to the evolution, and (ii) a hillclimbing optimisation procedure for each generated individual by means of an appropriate reassignment of some of its constituent units. We compare the results of both techniques against the previous results and a greedy method.

The Iron Age landscape of Alcoi Valley, eastern Iberia: Agricultural intensification and sociopolitical dynamics

New archaeological survey data are combined with previous evidence to examine the rural landscape during the Iberian Iron Age in the Valencia region of eastern Spain. One goal was to understand the settlement pattern and agricultural intensification through manuring. The second objective was to address the socioeconomic aspects of changes in the landscape. It is possible to trace the emergence of a hierarchical settlement pattern in the Iberian Iron Age in which large fortified settlements carried out the most important functions of control and exploitation of the territory, extending their authority over small rural villages and farmsteads. This pattern is associated with the complex socioeconomic structures and political organization of early Iberian states.