Alexandra Lopez Cermeno
Associate senior lecturer
Do universities generate spatial spillovers? : Evidence from US counties between 1930 and 2010
Author
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