Napoleonic Administrative Reforms and Development. Lessons from the Italian Mezzogiorno

Giulio Cainelli, Carlo Ciccarelli () and Roberto Ganau
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Giulio Cainelli: University of Padua
Roberto Ganau: University of Padua and LSE

CAGE Online Working Paper Series from Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE)

Abstract: We study how changes in the administrative hierarchy of a country affect development at the city level. We exploit the 1806 Napoleonic administrative reform implemented in the Kingdom of Naples as a historical experiment to assess whether district capitals endowed with supra-municipal administrative functions by law gained an urban development premium compared with non-capital cities. We assemble an original dataset combining historical data from 1648 to 1911, and rely on difference-in-differences and instrumental variable estimation strategies. We find that district capitals recorded a time-persistent population growth premium in the period 1828–1911, and experienced higher industrialization both before and after the Italian unification occurred in 1861, compared with non-capital cities. We explain our results through mechanisms related to public goods provision and transport network accessibility.

Keywords: Napoleonic reforms; territorial administrative hierarchy; long-run development JEL Classification: H11, N13, O11, R11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gro, nep-his and nep-ure
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