Merchant Networks in Big Cities - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Journal of Urban Economics Année : 2022

Merchant Networks in Big Cities

Résumé

In the 18th century, every second merchant ship sailing from Britain to the Baltic did not carry any exports. This was caused by trade imbalances that were driven by high demand for grains and other raw materials in Britain. Trip level data show that merchant ships based in larger British cities were more likely to make non-empty trips and carried more varieties. This paper argues that wider and denser networks of merchants in large cities, which facilitated information flows and improved the efficiency of matching, allowed them to outperform merchants from smaller British ports. Furthermore, ships that were based in smaller ports did not improve their performance when they departed from larger cities. This finding and additional tests provide evidence against competing explanations.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
paper.pdf (442.13 Ko) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)

Dates et versions

hal-03590623 , version 1 (28-02-2022)

Identifiants

Citer

David Gomtsyan. Merchant Networks in Big Cities. Journal of Urban Economics, 2022, ⟨10.1016/j.jue.2022.103440⟩. ⟨hal-03590623⟩
41 Consultations
95 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More