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Persistence of cities: Evidence from China
Author(s) -
Duan Fan,
Unel Bulent
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
review of development economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1467-9361
pISSN - 1363-6669
DOI - 10.1111/rode.12565
Subject(s) - prosperity , openness to experience , china , per capita , persistence (discontinuity) , economics , standard of living , demographic economics , development economics , population , geography , economic geography , economic growth , demography , sociology , market economy , psychology , social psychology , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , engineering
Using data from the Qing dynasty, we investigate the long‐run impact of early development on today's living standards in China. We use city‐level population density in 1776 as a measure of early economic prosperity, and examine how it is associated with today's development indicators such as the average night light density, GDP per capita, average years of schooling, and trade openness. We find that cities which were more prosperous during the Qing dynasty are now also brighter, richer, more educated, and more open.