À propos de la localisation de l'industrie aérospatiale aux États-Unis

This article analyses the location patterns of the US aerospace industry by comparing the spatial behaviour of manufacturing and R&D functions. We find that these two functions follow different logics as R&D activities tend to concentrate in the northeast whilst assembling is mostly accomplished in the southern and western United States. We then argue that this spatial division of labour is not simply a consequence of the evolution of the production process, but is in part explained by the fact that R&D is characterized by different competitive goals that create a different set of location patterns. Classification JEL : L62, O14, R12.<np pagenum="356"/>