GDP growth is often measured poorly for countries and rarely measured at all for cities. We propose a readily available proxy: satellite data on lights at night. Our statistical framework uses light growth to supplement existing income growth measures. The framework is applied to countries with the lowest quality income data, resulting in estimates of growth that differ substantially from established estimates. We then consider a longstanding debate: do increases in local agricultural productivity increase city incomes? For African cities, we find that exogenous gricultural productivity shocks (high rainfall years) have substantial effects on local urban economic activity.
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15199.
Length: Date of creation: Jul 2009 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:15199
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Find related papers by JEL classification: E01 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - Measurement and Data on National Income and Product Accounts and Wealth O47 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Measurement of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence Q1 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture R11 - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Analysis of Growth, Development, and Changes
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Glaeser, Edward L & Hedi D. Kallal & Jose A. Scheinkman & Andrei Shleifer, 1992.
"Growth in Cities,"
Journal of Political Economy,
University of Chicago Press, vol. 100(6), pages 1126-52, December.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
Edward L. Glaeser & Hedi D. Kallal & Jose A. Scheinkman & Andrei Shleifer, 1991.
"Growth in Cities,"
NBER Working Papers
3787, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Daniel da Mata & Uwe Deichmann & J. Vernon Henderson & Somik V. Lall & Hyoung G. Wang, 2005.
"Determinants of City Growth in Brazil,"
Discussion Papers
1112, Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada - IPEA.
[Downloadable!]
Daniel da Mata & U. Deichmann & J. Vernon Henderson & Somik V. Lall & H.G. Wang, 2005.
"Determinants of City Growth in Brazil,"
NBER Working Papers
11585, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)