This study investigates the potential role of variations in technical efficiency as a contributing factor in providing an explanation for convergence or divergence in Western Europe. To control for spatial dependence among regions, it uses a spatial stochastic frontier framework that integrates spatial econometric techniques with stochastic frontier panel-data models. The empirical analysis reveals there is a strong geographical pattern of regional efficiency, while the degree of average regional efficiency has increased steadily year by year. From a European regional policy perspective, we can conclude that differentiated development strategies seem more appropriate than homogeneous or best-practice investment approaches.

This article contributes to the recent literature in spatial econometrics that focuses on space–time data modeling implementing a multilocation time-series statistical framework to analyze a regional system. Drawing on the global vector autoregression approach introduced in Pesaran, Schuermann, and Weiner, a multiregional spatial vector autoregressive (MultiREG-SpVAR) model is formulated and then applied to study the spatiotemporal transmission of macroeconomic shocks across the regions in Spain. The empirical application analyzes the extent to which a region’s economic output growth is influenced by the growth of its neighbors (push-in or inward growth effect), and also investigates the relevance of spillovers derived from temporary region specific output growth shocks (push-out or outward growth effect). Our results identify some regions that perform as “growth generators” within the Spanish regional system since growth shocks from these regions spillover to a large number of regions of the country, playing a key role in the transmission of regional business cycles. The policy implications of our results suggest that national and/or regional governments should stimulate economic activity in these leading regions in order to enhance the economic recovery process of the whole Spanish economy.