Roman Transport Network Connectivity and Economic Integration

Matthias Flückiger, Erik Hornung, Mario Larch, Markus Ludwig and Allard Mees

The Review of Economic Studies, 2022, vol. 89, issue 2, 774-810

Abstract: We show that the creation of the first integrated multi-modal pan-European transport network during Roman times influences economic integration over two millennia. Drawing on spatially highly disaggregated data on excavated Roman ceramics, we document that contemporary interregional trade was influenced by connectivity within the network. Today, these connectivity differentials continue to influence integration as approximated by cross-regional firm investment behaviour. Continuity is partly explained by selective infrastructure routing and cultural integration due to bilateral convergence in preferences and values. We show that our results are Roman-connectivity specific and do not reflect pre-existing patterns of exchange using pre-Roman trade data.

Keywords: Economic integration; Roman trade; Transport network connectivity; Business links; Cultural similarity; F14; F15; F21; N73; R12; R40; O18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/restud/rdab036 (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
Working Paper: Roman Transport Network Connectivity and Economic Integration (2021)
Working Paper: Roman Transport Network Connectivity and Economic Integration (2019)
Working Paper: Roman Transport Network Connectivity and Economic Integration (2019)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:restud:v:89:y:2022:i:2:p:774-810.

Access Statistics for this article

The Review of Economic Studies is currently edited by Thomas Chaney, Xavier d’Haultfoeuille, Andrea Galeotti, Bård Harstad, Nir Jaimovich, Katrine Loken, Elias Papaioannou, Vincent Sterk and Noam Yuchtman

More articles in The Review of Economic Studies from Review of Economic Studies Ltd
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Oxford University Press ().