The Geography of Development: Evaluating Migration Restrictions and Coastal Flooding

57 Pages Posted: 13 Apr 2015

See all articles by Klaus Desmet

Klaus Desmet

Southern Methodist University (SMU); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

David Krisztián Nagy

Princeton University

Esteban Rossi-Hansberg

University of Chicago - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: April 2015

Abstract

We study the relationship between geography and growth. To do so, we first develop a dynamic spatial growth theory with realistic geography. We characterize the model and its balanced growth path and propose a methodology to analyze equilibria with different levels of migration frictions. We bring the model to the data for the whole world economy at a 1º times 1º geographic resolution. We then use the model to quantify the gains from relaxing migration restrictions as well as to describe the evolution of the distribution of economic activity in the different migration scenarios. Our results indicate that fully liberalizing migration would increase welfare more than three-fold and would significantly affect the evolution of particular regions in the world. We then use the model to study the effect of a spatial shock. We focus on the example of a rise in the sea level and find that coastal flooding can have an important impact on welfare by changing the geographic-dynamic path of the world economy.

Keywords: coastal flooding, development, gains from mobility, geography, growth, migration, spatial economics, trade, world economy

JEL Classification: F1, F22, O1, O15, O18, Q54, R11, R12

Suggested Citation

Desmet, Klaus and Nagy, David Krisztián and Rossi-Hansberg, Esteban A., The Geography of Development: Evaluating Migration Restrictions and Coastal Flooding (April 2015). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP10544, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2593827

Klaus Desmet (Contact Author)

Southern Methodist University (SMU) ( email )

6212 Bishop Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75275
United States

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

David Krisztián Nagy

Princeton University ( email )

22 Chambers Street
Princeton, NJ 08544-0708
United States

Esteban A. Rossi-Hansberg

University of Chicago - Department of Economics

1126 East 59th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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