Persistence of cities: Evidence from China

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1-2019

Abstract

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.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Review of Development Economics

First Page

663

Last Page

676

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