Spatial patterns of development: a Meso approach
Journal
Annual Review of Economics
Subject
Economics
Publishing details
Authors / Editors
Michalopoulos S;Papaioannou E
Biographies
Publication Year
2018
Abstract
Over the past two decades, the literature on comparative development has moved from country-level to within-country analyses. The questions asked have expanded in scope as economists have used satellite images of light density at night and other big spatial data to proxy for development at the desired level. The focus has also shifted from uncovering correlations to identifying causal relations, using elaborate econometric techniques including spatial regression discontinuity designs. In this review, we show how the combination of geographic information systems with insights from disciplines ranging from the earth sciences to linguistics and history has transformed the research landscape on the roots of the spatial patterns of development. We discuss the limitations of the luminosity data and associated econometric techniques and conclude by offering some thoughts on future research.
Keywords
Development; Language; Ethnicity; History; Borders; Luminosity; Regression discontinuity; Regions
Available on ECCH
No
