Secondary towns and poverty reduction: refocusing the urbanization agenda

Luc Christiaensen, Ravi Kanbur, Luc Christiaensen and Ravi Kanbur
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Luc Christiaensen and Ravi Kanbur

No 7895, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: This review is framed around the exploration of a central hypothesis: A shift in public investment toward secondary towns from big cities will improve poverty reduction performance. Of course the hypothesis raises many questions. What exactly is the dichotomy of secondary towns versus big cities? What is the evidence for the contribution of secondary towns versus cities to poverty reduction? What are the economic mechanisms for such a differential contribution and how does policy interact with them? The review finds preliminary evidence and arguments in support of the hypothesis, but the impacts of policy on poverty are quite complex even in simple settings, and the question of secondary towns and poverty reduction is an open area for research and policy analysis.

Keywords: Inequality; Economic Growth; Industrial Economics; Economic Theory&Research; Labor Markets (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016-11-23
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Secondary Towns and Poverty Reduction: Refocusing the Urbanization Agenda (2017)
Working Paper: Secondary Towns and Poverty Reduction: Refocusing the Urbanization Agenda (2017)
Working Paper: Secondary Towns and Poverty Reduction: Refocusing the Urbanization Agenda (2017)
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