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Alexandra Lopez Cermeno . Photo

Alexandra Lopez Cermeno

Associate senior lecturer

Alexandra Lopez Cermeno . Photo

Do universities generate spatial spillovers? : Evidence from US counties between 1930 and 2010

Author

  • Alexandra L. Cermeño

Summary, in English

This paper explores the impact of new universities established in the USA between 1931 and 1980 on population density, GDP and market size measured from 1930 to 2010. The analysis is based on differences in differences on counties selected through propensity score matching, as well as an instrumental variable approach. The evidence suggests that counties hosting a university for the first time grew by between 1% and 3% annually on top of the general trends of population density and GDP growth, and that this effect expanded to neighboring counties. Controlling for research intensity and interstate road infrastructure shows that the potential gains from these new universities were severely constrained by the ease of access, which eventually resulted in higher congestion costs. These results point to a situation where new universities create spillover effects that eventually fade away if not accompanied by additional investments.

Department/s

  • Department of Economic History

Publishing year

2018

Language

English

Pages

1173-1210

Publication/Series

Journal of Economic Geography

Volume

19

Issue

6

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Topic

  • Economic History

Status

Published

Project

  • The evolution regional economies in the Nordic region – A long run approach

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1468-2710