Locomotives of Local Growth: The Short- and Long-Term Impact of Railroads in Sweden

Thor Berger and Kerstin Enflo

No 132, Lund Papers in Economic History from Lund University, Department of Economic History

Abstract: This paper studies the impact of railroads on town-level growth in Sweden over 150 years. Our analysis builds on the fact that railroads historically were extended quasi-randomly across towns. Towns that gained access to a rail connection grew larger relative to other towns, with large negative spillovers on unconnected nearby towns. Over the 20th century, we find little adjustment to the initial shock in town populations, despite a sharp reversal in relative connectivity. Evidence on historical investments and present-day factors is consistent with this temporary shock giving rise to path dependence in the location of economic activity.

Keywords: Transport Infrastructure; Urban Growth; Path Dependence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N73 N93 R12 R40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 47 pages
Date: 2014-03-14
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Locomotives of local growth: The short- and long-term impact of railroads in Sweden (2017)
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:hhs:luekhi:0132

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