1004 PONTIFICIAE ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARVM SCRIPTA VARIA - 28 
bution of industrial production, population, investment, con- 
sumption and other economic magnitudes? The latter question 
suggests the need to develop a more adequate general inter- 
regional theory which encompasses the spatial distributions of 
both economic activities and political-administrative-planning 
functions and decision-making authority; and that these spa- 
tial distributions be simultaneously determined (1). 
In what follows, I can only make a small beginning at the 
formidable task which confronts us. I shall suggest hypotheses 
which relate to: 
I) the advantage (positive or negative) of increased participa- 
tion potential with increase in the degree of spatial decen- 
tralization of decision-making authority (utilizing concepts 
based upon the gravity model as developed in the field of 
regional science): 
2) the advantage (positive or negative) of increase in the degree 
of spatial decentralization with respect to: 
a) cost of collecting information 
b) cost of processing information 
c) cost of transmitting information 
d) time-cost of executives, representatives and officials spent 
in reaching a decision based upon the processed informa- 
tion made available; 
3) the overview advantage (positive or negative) of increase in 
the degree of spatial decentralization (where overview 
advantage is defined in terms of the wisdom-full information- 
coordination factor in decision making as reflected in the 
writings of Professor J. MARSCHAK and his associates). 
(') For further elaboration of these question and for detailed exposition 
of certain concepts utilized in this paper, the reader is referred to W. IsARD 
and T. TuNc: Some Concepts for the Analysis of Spatial Organization, 
« Papers and Proceedings of the Regional Science Association », Part. I, 
Vol. 11, and Part. II, Vol. 12. Permission to reproduce without change 
manv of the statements of these two mannscrpts is herehv acknowledged 
21 Isard - pag. 2