Self-organization of hexagonal agglomeration patterns in new economic geography models

• Published in: Journal of economic behavior & organization Vol. 99; pp. 32 - 52
• Main Authors: Ikeda, Kiyohiro, Murota, Kazuo, Akamatsu, Takashi, Kono, Tatsuhito, Takayama, Yuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.03.2014; Elsevier Sequoia S.A
• Subjects: Agglomeration; Bifurcation; Central place theory; Comparative analysis; Core–periphery models; Economic behaviour; Economic geography; Economic models; Economic organization; Economic theory; Experimental methods; Group-theoretic bifurcation theory; Hexagons; New economic geography; Self-organization; Studies; Transport; Viewpoint; Core–periphery models; R12; C65; Central place theory; R13; Hexagons; F12; Bifurcation; Group-theoretic bifurcation theory; New economic geography; Self-organization
• ISSN: 0167-2681; 1879-1751
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2013.12.008

•We use core–periphery models in which workers migrate among multiple places.•Self-organization of 2D agglomeration patterns from the uniformly distributed state.•We found hexagonal population distributions envisaged by central place theory.•2D patterns show an insufficiency of conventional one-dimensional racetrack economy. Self-organization of agglomeration patterns for economic models in a two-dimensional economic space is studied from a multi-disciplinary viewpoint of new economic geography, central place theory, and bifurcation theory. Emergence of hexagonal distributions of various sizes in a homogeneous space is predicted theoretically for core–periphery models. The existence of hexagonal distributions as stable equilibria is demonstrated by a comparative static analysis with respect to transport costs for specific core–periphery models. These distributions are the ones envisaged by central place theory and also inferred to emerge by Krugman (1996) for a core–periphery model in two dimensions.