Articles:
The U.S. as a Coastal Nation
Jordan Rappaport; Jeffrey D. Sachs
Downloads:
- Title:
- The U.S. as a Coastal Nation
- Author(s):
-
Rappaport, Jordan
Sachs, Jeffrey D. - Date:
- 2001
- Type:
- Articles
- Department:
- Earth Institute
- Permanent URL:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10022/AC:P:8263
- Abstract:
- U.S. economic activity is overwhelmingly concentrated at its ocean and Great Lakes coasts and at navigable rivers. Economic theory suggests four possible explanations: a present-day productivity effect, a present-day quality-of-life effect, delayed adjustment following a historical productivity or quality-of-life effect, and an agglomeration effect following a historical productivity or quality-of-life effect. Controlling for correlated natural attributes such as the weather and including proximity measures which a priori should absorb any quality-of-life effect, linear regressions suggest that the high coastal concentration of economic activity is primarily due to a productivity effect. Extensively controlling for historical economic density suggests that such a productivity effect continues to be operative today.
- Subject(s):
- Economics
- Item views:
- 131