Bones, Bombs and Break Points: The Geography of Economic Activity / Donald R. Davis, David E. Weinstein.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Davis, Donald R.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Weinstein, David E.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w8517.

NBER working paper series no. w8517

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Bones, Bombs and Break Points

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2001.

Summary:

We consider the distribution of economic activity within a country in light of three leading theories - increasing returns, random growth, and locational fundamentals. To do so, we examine the distribution of regional population in Japan from the Stone Age to the modern era. We also consider the Allied bombing of Japanese cities in WWII as a shock to relative city sizes. Our results support a hybrid theory in which locational fundamentals establish the spatial pattern of relative regional densities, but increasing returns may help to determine the degree of spatial differentiation. One implication of these results is that even large temporary shocks to urban areas have no long-run impact on city size.

Notes:

Print version record

October 2001.