Working Paper: NBER ID: w9594
Authors: Sukkoo Kim; Robert A. Margo
Abstract: We review historical patterns of economic geography' for the United States from the colonial period to the present day. The analysis is framed in terms of two geographic scales: regions and cities. The compelling reason for studying geographic areas of different scales is that models that explain the location of economic activities at one scale many not apply to other scales. We consider the process of settling the frontier'; the development of national markets in goods and factors and, more generally, the convergence (and divergence) of regional economies; the growth of cities and the relationship between urbanization and trends in aggregate economic structure, such as industrialization; and changes in the internal spatial structure of cities.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: R0
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| economic development (O29) | changes in resource allocation (O33) |
| per capita income rises (O49) | capital and labor migrate to cities (R23) |
| availability of cheap land (R52) | westward migration (J61) |
| labor productivity (J24) | migration patterns (F22) |
| transportation advancements (L92) | economic integration (F15) |