The subject that I wish to discuss in this paper is regional balance. The framework of the analysis is partial in that I do not consider the interdependence—competitive or complementary—between regional balance and other government policies. To proceed with the analysis, I devote the next section to the various issues encountered in defining regional balance. I then examine the properties of the demand for regional balance in unitary and in federal states. Having defined the “product” and its demand, I analyze the various policy instruments that can be used by governments to supply or provide regional balance. In particular I examine whether in “federal” countries the function of providing regional balance should be attributed to senior or to junior governments and whether there exist policy instruments which are more efficient than others in achieving a desired level of regional balance.

On March 25, 1957, the same Western European nations which six years earlier had pooled their coal and steel resources into the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), signed the Treaty of Rome and thus established the European Economic Community (EEC). Their goal was what the Schuman Declaration of May 9, 1950, had called a “European Federation.” The path they chose to follow toward political unity has been that of economic integration.

Un nouveau type de tarif a récemment été introduit par la Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Beiges. II s’agit du tarif « agglomeration » grâce auquel les voyageurs peuvent se déplacer a l’interieur deslimites del’agglomeration bruxelloise pour un prix qui est independant de la longueur du trajet parcouru. II est fort interessant de constater que le niveau peu élevé de ce nouveau tarif a été deliberement choisi pour encourager les voyageurs a emprunter le train plutôt que les autres moyens de transport. Les motifs qui ont ete avances pour justifier cette mesure sont pleinementcohérents sur leplan Economique: il s’agit de require l’encombrement dont souffrent les autres moyens de transport tant publics que prives. Bien que cet article ne traite pas directement de la tarification des chemins de fer, le lecteur pourra dégager le bien-fonde des motifs avances a partir des lignes qui vont suivre.