Segregation and the Initial Provision of Water in the United States

Brian Beach, John Parman () and Martin Saavedra ()

No 29678, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: U.S. cities invested heavily in water and sewer infrastructure throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These investments improved public health and quality of life by helping U.S. cities control typhoid fever and other waterborne diseases. We show that segregated cities invested in water infrastructure earlier but were slower to reach universal access and slower to eliminate typhoid fever. We develop a theoretical model that illustrates how segregation, by facilitating the exclusion of Black households from water and sewer systems, explains these seemingly paradoxical findings.

JEL-codes: H4 J1 N3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea, nep-his and nep-ure
Note: DAE EH PE POL
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published as Brian Beach & John Parman & Martin Saavedra, 2022. "Segregation and the Initial Provision of Water in the United States," AEA Papers and Proceedings, vol 112, pages 193-198.

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