Area Development
A new report by The Brookings Institution sheds light on the per capita GDP (income) and employment changes for 200 of the world's largest metro economies from 2010 to 2011. While these areas account for almost half of global output, they only make up just 14 percent of the world's population and employment.

Global MetroMonitor 2011 analyzed metros from seven world regions: Western Europe (60), North America (64), developed Asia-Pacific (24), developing Asia-Pacific (18), Latin America (12), Eastern Europe and Central Asia (11), and Middle East and Africa (6).

2011 marked the latest year in a volatile period for the global economy, stated the study, reflected in the distinct experiences of its leading metropolitan economies.

"A slowdown in the recovery did not alter the continued ascendance of emerging-market metro areas as hubs for production, consumption, and trade," noted the study's authors. "The relatively stronger recent growth of business and financial services and manufacturing capitals suggests that metropolitan areas most focused in high-value export industries may be better positioned to respond to the opportunities offered by worldwide recovery and future global urban growth."

Looking specifically at manufacturing, industries not only seemed to boost growth in metro areas specialized in that sector, but also drove economic expansion in 2010-2011 in a wider array of places. In fact, across 187 metro areas analyzed, manufacturing represented the largest share of output in 23 of them.

Some of the key findings from Global MetroMonitor 2011 were: