Malaria suitability, urbanization and subnational development in sub-Saharan Africa

Matthias Flückiger and Markus Ludwig

Journal of Urban Economics, 2020, vol. 120, issue C

Abstract: Using subnational data, we document that the climatic suitability for malaria falciparum transmission constitutes a first-nature characteristic that influences today’s spatial distribution of urbanization and socioeconomic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Both, levels of urbanization and development are lower in regions that exhibit a high malaria transmission potential. Evidence further indicates that the settlement behavior of the European colonizers plays an important role in explaining why urban areas are concentrated in low risk areas. Throughout, we rely on an exclusively climate-based measure of malaria falciparum transmission intensity that is independent of local prevalence rates for identification. Robustness of estimates to inclusion of climatic suitability indices for further tropical diseases, null results in placebo tests and reproduction of findings outside of Africa support the validity of our identification strategy.

Keywords: Malaria; Urbanization; Economic development; Sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I15 N57 O18 R12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:juecon:v:120:y:2020:i:c:s0094119020300504

DOI: 10.1016/j.jue.2020.103279

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