arXiv
Open Access
2024
A Perfect Storm: First-Nature Geography and Economic Development
Christian Vedel
Abstrak
In 1825 a storm cut a new channel through Denmark's Limfjord, providing an exogenous shock to first-nature geography. Difference-in-differences estimates show the channel increased trade immediately and, within a generation, lifted population by 26.7 percent - an elasticity of 1.6 relative to the improved market access. Higher fertility and economic growth of new industries, not migration, drove the expansion. A mirror experiment - the waterway's closure circa 1086-1208 - caused symmetric declines in medieval coin and building finds, bolstering external validity. These results offer the first robust causal evidence that first-nature geomorphology shapes the location of economic activity.
Topik & Kata Kunci
Penulis (1)
C
Christian Vedel
Akses Cepat
Informasi Jurnal
- Tahun Terbit
- 2024
- Bahasa
- en
- Sumber Database
- arXiv
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- Open Access ✓