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The Brasilia Experiment: The Heterogeneous Impact of Road Access on Spatial Development in Brazil
[L’expérience de Brasília : l’impact hétérogène de l’accès routier sur le développement spatial au Brésil]

Author

Listed:
  • Julia Bird

    (Vivid Econ, London, England)

  • Stéphane Straub

    (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - Comue de Toulouse - Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of the rapid expansion of the Brazilian road network, which occurred from the 1960s to the 2000s, on the growth and spatial allocation of population and economic activity across the country's municipalities. It addresses the problem of endogeneity in infrastructure location by using an original empirical strategy, based on the "historical natural experiment" constituted by the creation of the new federal capital city Brasília in 1960. The results reveal a dual pattern, with improved transport connections increasing concentration of economic activity and population around the main centers in the South of the country, while spurring the emergence of secondary economic centers in the less developed North, in line with predictions in terms of agglomeration economies. Over the period, roads are shown to account for half of pcGDP growth and to spur a significant decrease in spatial inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Julia Bird & Stéphane Straub, 2020. "The Brasilia Experiment: The Heterogeneous Impact of Road Access on Spatial Development in Brazil [L’expérience de Brasília : l’impact hétérogène de l’accès routier sur le développement spatial au ," Post-Print hal-02929470, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02929470
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.104739
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Barsanetti, Bruno, 2021. "Cities on pre-Columbian paths," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    2. Barsanetti, Bruno, 2024. "Capital as an anchor of agricultural employment: Evidence from the 1975 frost," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    3. Djemaï, Elodie & Clark, Andrew E. & D’Ambrosio, Conchita, 2024. "Take the Highway? Paved roads and well-being in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    4. Gertler, Paul J & Gonzalez-Navarro, Marco & Gracner, Tadeja & Rothenberg, Alexander, 2023. "Road Maintenance and Local Economic Development," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt38m633q0, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    5. Heitor Pellegrina & Sebastian Sotelo, 2019. "Migration, Specialization and Trade: Evidence from the Brazilian March to the West," 2019 Meeting Papers 863, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    6. Foster,Vivien & Gorgulu,Nisan & Straub,Stéphane & Vagliasindi,Maria, 2023. "The Impact of Infrastructure on Development Outcomes: A Qualitative Review of Four Decades of Literature," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10343, The World Bank.
    7. Garcia-López, Miquel-Àngel & Herranz-Loncán, Alfonso & Tassinari, Filippo & Viladecans-Marsal, Elisabet, 2023. "Paving the way to modern growth: The Spanish Bourbon roads," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    8. Romano, Patrícia Ribeiro & Bezerra Sampaio, Raquel Menezes, 2023. "Road concessions: Evidence of the effects of improving the transport infrastructure on economic development in Brazil," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 115-124.
    9. Selod,Harris & Steinbuks,Jevgenijs & Trotter,Ian Michael & Blankespoor,Brian, 2024. "Infrastructure Complementarities and Local Economic Growth : Evidence from Electrification and Highway Construction in Brazil," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10785, The World Bank.
    10. Gertler, Paul J. & Gonzalez-Navarro, Marco & Gračner, Tadeja & Rothenberg, Alexander D., 2024. "Road maintenance and local economic development: Evidence from Indonesia’s highways," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    11. Lucas Dias & Eduardo Haddad & Andrés Maggi, 2020. "Optimal Road Network and the Gains from Intranational Trade," TD NEREUS 15-2020, Núcleo de Economia Regional e Urbana da Universidade de São Paulo (NEREUS).
    12. Medeiros, Victor & Ribeiro, Rafael S.M. & Amaral, Pedro V.M. & Stein, Alexandre Q., 2025. "Highway infrastructure and economic development: Measuring causal impacts of infrastructure investments using a three-step instrumental variable identification strategy," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 394-407.
    13. Marein, Brian, 2022. "Colonial Roads and Regional Inequality," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    14. Miquel-Àngel Garcia-López & Alfonso Herranz-Loncán & Filippo Tassinari & Elisabet Viladecans-Marsal, 2021. "Paving the way to modern growth. Evidence from Bourbon roads in Spain," Working Papers 0209, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • N76 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • N96 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • R40 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - General
    • 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)
    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration

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