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Gulag, WWII and the Long-run Patterns of Soviet City Growth

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  • Mikhailova, Tatiana

Abstract

This paper analyzes the geographical patterns of city growth in the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation in relation to the Stalinist policies of the 1930s to 1950s, and WWII. Using a unique data set on the locations of Gulag camps, and on the evacuation of industrial enterprises during WWII, I estimate the effect of these factors on city growth throughout the Soviet and post-Soviet period. The cities where Gulag camps were located grew significantly faster than similar cities without camps. WWII events (location of the frontlines, evacuation) also affected local population growth, but their impact diminished with time and disappeared completely after 25 years. In contrast, the effect of Gulag camps has been permanent.

Suggested Citation

  • Mikhailova, Tatiana, 2012. "Gulag, WWII and the Long-run Patterns of Soviet City Growth," EconStor Preprints 121963, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:esprep:121963
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    Cited by:

    1. Maxim Ananiev & Sergei Guriev, 2014. "The Effect of Income on Trust: the Evidence from 2009 Crisis in Russia," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03429914, HAL.
    2. Maxim Ananiev & Sergei Guriev, 2014. "The Effect of Income on Trust: the Evidence from 2009 Crisis in Russia," Working Papers hal-03429914, HAL.
    3. Nikolova, Milena & Popova, Olga & Otrachshenko, Vladimir, 2022. "Stalin and the origins of mistrust," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    4. Buggle, Johannes C. & Nafziger, Steven, 2018. "The slow road from serfdom: Labor coercion and long-run development in the former Russian Empire," BOFIT Discussion Papers 22/2018, Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT).
    5. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/18morovaof8fdbvqtbkas8cvhm is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Zhorayev, Olzhas, 2020. "Determinants of Trust in Police: A Cross-National Analysis," MPRA Paper 109068, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. SHIDA, Yoshisada, 2021. "Does the Currency Crisis Veil the Impact of Economic Sanctions under an Authoritarian Regime? An Inquiry into Russia," RRC Working Paper Series 91, Russian Research Center, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    8. repec:zbw:bofitp:2018_022 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/8lt2edmul9geov3cf3fqf7h92 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Mikhailova, Tatiana (Михайлова, Татьяна), 2018. "Evacuation of Industry During the Great Patriotic War and the Growth of Russian Cities: Numerical Analysis [Эвакуация Промышленности В Годы Великой Отечественной Войны И Рост Городов России: Числен," Working Papers 031835, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
    11. Johannes C. Buggle & Steven Nafziger, 2021. "The Slow Road from Serfdom: Labor Coercion and Long-Run Development in the Former Russian Empire," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 103(1), pages 1-17, March.
    12. Kazuhiro Kumo & Elena Shadrina, 2021. "On the Evolution of Hierarchical Urban Systems in Soviet Russia, 1897–1989," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-17, October.
    13. Toews, Gerhard & Vezina, Pierre-Louis, 2020. "Enemies of the people," SocArXiv gnypr, Center for Open Science.
    14. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/18morovaof8fdbvqtbkas8cvhm is not listed on IDEAS
    15. L. E. Limonov & M. V. Nesena, 2016. "Structural and economic typology of large Russian cities," Regional Research of Russia, Springer, vol. 6(2), pages 144-155, April.
    16. Mikhailova, T., 2015. "Multiple equilibria in the Russian cities," Published Papers 010915, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
    17. Johannes C. Buggle & Steven Nafziger, 2016. "Long-Run Consequences of Labor Coercion: Evidence from Russian Serfdom," Department of Economics Working Papers 2016-07, Department of Economics, Williams College.
    18. Denis Ivanov, 2014. "Transition and path-dependence in knowledge-intensive industry location: Case of Russian professional services," ERSA conference papers ersa14p767, European Regional Science Association.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cities; USSR; Gulag; WWII;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • P25 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics

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