Locomotives of local growth: The short- and long-term impact of railroads in Sweden

Thor Berger and Kerstin Enflo

Journal of Urban Economics, 2017, vol. 98, issue C, 124-138

Abstract: This paper studies the impact of railroads on 150years of urban growth in Sweden, identifying the short- and long-term effects of a first wave of railroad construction. Difference-in-differences and instrumental variable estimates show that towns that gained access experienced substantial relative increases in population, though such growth mainly reflected a relocation of economic activity. Over the twentieth century, we find little evidence of convergence in town populations, despite the railroad network expanding further to connect nearly all towns. Evidence on historical investments and present-day factors is consistent with the idea that the transitory shock of the first railroads gave rise to path dependence in the location of economic activity.

Keywords: Urban growth; Transport infrastructure; Railroads; Path dependence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N73 N93 R12 R40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (84)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Locomotives of Local Growth: The Short- and Long-Term Impact of Railroads in Sweden (2014)
Working Paper: Locomotives of Local Growth: The Short- and Long-Term Impact of Railroads in Sweden (2013)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:juecon:v:98:y:2017:i:c:p:124-138

DOI: 10.1016/j.jue.2015.09.001

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