(ProQuest: ... denotes non-USASCII text omitted)Regional economic development in Europe: the role of total factor productivity. Regional Studies. This paper documents the fact that the large and persistent differences in economic development across subnational regions in European Union countries can largely be attributed to differences in total factor productivity (TFP). Applying the technique of development accounting, the paper decomposes differences in output per worker across 257 European Union regions into a component due to the local availability of production factors and a component due to TFP. As the analysis reveals, TFP differences are large even within countries, and are strongly related to economic geography and historical development paths. This suggests limited interregional diffusion of technology and of efficient production practices.