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Railways and Price Convergence in British India

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  • Andrabi, Tahir
  • Kuehlwein, Michael

Abstract

The period 1861 to 1920 witnessed sharp price convergence in British Indian grain markets. Previous research attributed this to the construction of railways. But tests examining price differences between districts provide surprisingly weak support for that hypothesis. Railways mattered, but seem capable of explaining only about 20 percent of the decline in price dispersion. One explanation may be that India was a partially integrated economy at the time of railroad expansion. Lines connecting districts on preexisting trade routes had very small price effects. There is also some evidence of a “border effect” on lines between British India and princely states.

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  • Andrabi, Tahir & Kuehlwein, Michael, 2010. "Railways and Price Convergence in British India," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 70(2), pages 351-377, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:70:y:2010:i:02:p:351-377_00
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    Cited by:

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    2. Hayakawa, Kazunobu & Tsubota, Kenmei, 2022. "The impact of highways on commodity prices: The price of butter in Japan," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    3. Chilosi, David & Federico, Giovanni, 2015. "Early globalizations: The integration of Asia in the world economy, 1800–1938," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 1-18.
    4. Bassino, Jean-Pascal & van der Eng, Pierre, 2019. "Japan and the Asian Divergence: Market Integration, Climate Anomalies and Famines during the 18th and 19th Centuries," CEI Working Paper Series 2018-18, Center for Economic Institutions, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    5. Fenske, James & Kala, Namrata, 2021. "Linguistic Distance and Market Integration in India," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 81(1), pages 1-39, March.
    6. repec:ehl:wpaper:87074 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Guo, Yibei & Dong, Baomin, 2021. "Railway and trade in modern China: Evidence from the 1930s," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    8. Fenske, James & Kala, Namrata & Wei, Jinlin, 2023. "Railways and cities in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    9. Colleoni, Marco, 2024. "The long-term welfare effects of colonial institutions: Evidence from Central India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    10. Sam Jones & César Salazar, 2021. "Infrastructure Improvements and Maize Market Integration: Bridging the Zambezi in Mozambique," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(2), pages 620-642, March.
    11. Tahir Andrabi & Sheetal Bharat & Michael Kuehlwein, 2021. "Information And Price Convergence:Telegraphs In British India," BASE University Working Papers 04/2021, BASE University, Bengaluru, India.
    12. Pkhikidze,Nino, 2024. "Connectivity, Road Quality, and Jobs : Evidence from Armenia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10847, The World Bank.
    13. Obaco, Moisés & Pontarollo, Nicola & Mendieta Muñoz, Rodrigo & Díaz-Sánchez, Juan Pablo, 2022. "On the association between housing deprivation and urban size: Evidence from South Asia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    14. Dan Bogart & Latika Chaudhary, 2012. "Regulation, Ownership, and Costs: A Historical Perspective from Indian Railways," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 4(1), pages 28-57, February.

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