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The long-term impact of Italian colonial roads in the Horn of Africa, 1935–2015

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  • Mattia C Bertazzini

Abstract

This article exploits the quasi-natural experiment provided by the extensive road network that was built across the Horn of Africa during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia (1936–1941), to examine how a first-mover advantage in transportation can affect the spatial distribution of economic activity in developing countries over the long run. The results show that Italian paved roads rendered areas located within 10 km of them significantly more populated, urbanized and luminous around 2010, relative to comparable, more distant locations. Early roadbuilding lifted first-mover locations out of isolation and allowed for net welfare gains, thanks to a reduction in transport costs and specialization. To this day, first-mover locations continue to diverge from the control group, due to a coordination mechanism that led to an oversupply of governmental facilities in the post-colonial period.

Suggested Citation

  • Mattia C Bertazzini, 2022. "The long-term impact of Italian colonial roads in the Horn of Africa, 1935–2015," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 22(1), pages 181-214.
  • Handle: RePEc:oup:jecgeo:v:22:y:2022:i:1:p:181-214.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jeg/lbaa017
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Luke Heath Milsom, 2023. "Moving OpportunityLocal Connectivity and Spatial Inequality," CEPREMAP Working Papers (Docweb) 2203, CEPREMAP.
    2. Elena Perra, & Sanfilippo, Marco & Sundaram, Asha, 2022. "Roads, Competition, and the Informal Sector," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 202221, University of Turin.
    3. Marein, Brian, 2022. "Colonial Roads and Regional Inequality," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    4. Fenske, James & Kala, Namrata & Wei, Jinlin, 2023. "Railways and cities in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    roads; urbanization; colonialism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N37 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Africa; Oceania
    • N77 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - Africa; Oceania
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)

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