This book is the resuh of a research project commissioned by the IBC BAK In- ternational Benchmark Club(R), an initiative by BAK Basel Economics, and car- ried out by Zentrum fiir Europaische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW - Centre for European Economic Research), Mannheim. It contributes to the IBC's effort to evaluate and compare economic performance and location factors across European regions. The report provides the background to the headline figures...