| On the basis of the stochastic kernel approach, the paper verifies the agricultural convergence process from 1994-2003 across a sample of 170 EU-15 regions at Nuts2 level classified according to their initial competitive profile through the Kohonen Self-Organizing Maps technique. The results achieved have, first, underlined the complexity of the competitive scenario summarized in four different profiles: non competitive regions; strongly competitive and innovative regions; competitive regions with diversification and production sustainability; and strongly dependent on the CAP direct support. They affect in a different way convergence. The process seems to be determined by the specific factors at the basis of agricultural competitiveness within which... |
