In Search of a Spatial Equilibrium in the Developing World

Gollin, Douglas; Kirchberger, Martina; Lagakos, David

doi:10.3386/w23916

Cited by 47 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…However, our results tend to confirm earlier findings that incomes and wages are far higher in urban than in rural areas of developing countries (for earlier work, useful starting points are Gollin, Lagakos, and Waugh 2013;Chauvin, Glaeser, Ma and Tobio 2017). We also find as in earlier work that many urban amenities in rapidly urbanizing countries dominate those in rural areas (for example, see Gollin, Kirchberger and Lagakos 2017). Utility levels seem higher in cities.…”

supporting

confidence: 89%

Urbanization in the Developing World: Too Early or Too Slow?

Henderson¹,

Turner²

2020

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We describe patterns of urbanization in the developing world and the extent to which they differ from the developed world. We consider the extent to which urbanization in the developing world can be explained by conventional models of spatial equilibrium. Despite their relative poverty, developing world cities are relatively highly productive, and often provide good access to safe water, improved sanitation, schooling and inoculations. In some parts of the world, they are home to a surprisingly small number of factory workers and a surprisingly large number of farmers. Developing world cities seem to do less well at protecting their residents from lifestyle diseases and crime, their female residents from domestic violence and their children from illness. In thinking about these facts, we note that one strand of the literature focused on structural transformation has suggested that urbanization in the developing is occurring `too early', while another strand argues that urbanization is occurring `too slow' to be consistent with conventional models of spatial equilibrium. Despite many differences between developing and developed world cities, our new results combined with those in the literature suggest that models of spatial equilibrium can be adapted to be a useful guide to understanding the process of urbanization in the developing world.

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supporting

confidence: 89%

Urbanization in the Developing World: Too Early or Too Slow?

Henderson¹,

Turner²

2020

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“…However, our results tend to confirm earlier findings that incomes and wages are far higher in urban than in rural areas of developing countries (for earlier work, useful starting points are Gollin, Lagakos, and Waugh 2013;Chauvin et al 2017). Like earlier work, we also find that many urban amenities in rapidly urbanizing countries dominate those in rural areas (for example, see Gollin, Kirchberger, and Lagakos 2017). In short, utility levels seem higher in urban areas of developing countries.…”

supporting

confidence: 88%

Urbanization in the Developing World: Too Early or Too Slow?

Henderson

Turner

2020

Journal of Economic Perspectives

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We describe patterns of urbanization in the developing world and the extent to which they differ from the developed world. We consider the extent to which urbanization in the developing world can be explained by conventional models of spatial equilibrium. Despite their relative poverty, developing world cities are relatively highly productive and often provide good access to safe water, improved sanitation, schooling, and inoculations. In some parts of the world, they are home to a surprisingly small number of factory workers and a surprisingly large number of farmers. Developing world cities seem to do less well at protecting their residents from lifestyle diseases and crime, their female residents from domestic violence, and their children from illness. In thinking about these facts, we note that one strand of the literature focused on structural transformation has suggested that urbanization in the developing is occurring “too early,” while another strand argues that urbanization is occurring “too slow” to be consistent with conventional models of spatial equilibrium. Despite many differences between developing and developed world cities, our new results combined with those in the literature suggest that models of spatial equilibrium can be adapted as a useful guide to understanding the urbanization process in the developing world.

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“…Second, dense areas are also subject to large externalities across households. Gollin et al (2017) report higher crime rates in highly dense areas, and the risk of transmission of communicable diseases increases (Sclar et al 2005). These externalities are worsened if there is underinvestment in services, with a lack of access to clean water and sanitation in particular having large negative health consequences; for example Duflo et al (2012) report that 88 per cent of diarrhoea infections are attributable to poor sanitary infrastructure, unsafe hygiene procedures, and a lack of clean water.…”

Section: (I) How To Conceptualize Slums?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Life in a slum: understanding living conditions in Nairobi’s slums across time and space

Bird¹,

Montebruno²,

Regan³

2017

Oxford Review of Economic Policy

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This paper overviews the role of slums in urban Africa, focusing on Nairobi. It reveals the characteristics of slums and how these have changed over time. Spatially disaggregated data show that slum areas are very dense with poor-quality buildings, lacking access to key services such as sewage disposal and electricity. However, improvements to building quality, public-service provision, and socioeconomic characteristics are mostly outpacing those seen in the formal sector. Measures such as child health and school attendance have caught up or are on pace to catch up in the near future with the formal sector, while improvements in building quality and service provision are advancing more slowly. We find significant heterogeneity across the city, and in particular that central slums look to be 'stuck' with low-quality buildings and poor service provision, though not with low socioeconomic indicators. We explore potential explanations for why slums located on highly prized land near the centre may be stuck with poor infrastructure.

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In Search of a Spatial Equilibrium in the Developing World

Cited by 47 publications

References 55 publications

Urbanization in the Developing World: Too Early or Too Slow?

Urbanization in the Developing World: Too Early or Too Slow?

Urbanization in the Developing World: Too Early or Too Slow?

Life in a slum: understanding living conditions in Nairobi’s slums across time and space

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