The concentration of knowledge-rich functions in the goods producing sector: what future for non-metropolitan areas of Quebec?
Knowledge-rich functions play a strategic role within the goods producing sector. The regions and businesses where they cluster seem better positioned in terms of future growth and economic development. However, this process suggests new economic disparities at the regional level. Our article examines the concentration of knowledge-rich functions in Quebec urban areas between 1971 and 2006. We find patterns of increasing metropolitan concentration over this period. But higher growth levels can also be found in non-metropolitan areas. While several distinct regional trajectories can be observed, this does not mean we should conclude that a process of regional convergence is developing. Our results suggest that decentralization of production of goods may have largely been limited to routine and production functions.