2013 Volume 69 Issue 5 Pages I_31-I_46
Numerous studies in the field of spatial economics have been devoted to explain mechanisms of the spatial agglomeration of economic activities. These studies have the potential to provide a basis for predicting and evaluating long-term effects of various economic policy proposals. However, there remain some fundamental problems for applying these studies to such applications, which result directly from technical difficulties caused by the non-convexity of spatial agglomeration models. In this paper, we first summarize issues of spatial economics and then review our studies that attempt to overcome these issues. Finally, we discuss future studies.