This paper proposes a simple theory of a system of cities that decomposes the determinants of the city size … larger cities, but also to greater frictions through congestion and other negative effects of agglomeration. Using data on … across cities are modest. When allowing for externalities, we find an important city selection effect: eliminating …

Empirical research on cities starts with a spatial equilibrium condition: workers and firms are assumed to be … indifferent across space. This condition implies that research on cities is different from research on countries, and that work on … existence of agglomeration economies, which exist when productivity rises with density, but estimating the magnitude of those …

areas the paper estimates a city productivity relationship, based on city GDP numbers for 1990-97. The effects of access …, educational attainment, FDI, and public infrastructure on productivity are estimated. Worker productivity is shown to be an … and city scale, as it varies with industrial composition. The majority of Chinese cities are shown to be potentially …

concentrated in larger cities – even more so than overall economic activity. We account for this fact by marrying elements of … productivity sort across city sizes and select into exporting. The model allows us to study the geographic implications of trade … raises not only the aggregate productivity of the economy but also its aggregate export intensity, by allowing more firms to …

Urban economics has traditionally viewed cities as having advantages in production and disadvantages in consumption. We … more mobile, the success of cities hinges more and more on cities' role as centers of consumption. Empirically, we find … argue that the role of urban density in facilitating consumption is extremely important and understudied. As firms become …

informational role of cities is a primary reason for" their continued existence. This paper formalizes Marshall's theory in a model …. The model predicts that cities will have a higher mean and higher variance of skills." Cities will attract young people … will stay in cities only if they can" internalize some of the benefits that their presence creates for young people. The …

There is a strong connection between per worker productivity and metropolitan area population, which is commonly … interpreted as evidence for the existence of agglomeration economies. This correlation is particularly strong in cities with … or entrepreneurs more productive. Bigger cities certainly attract more skilled workers, and there is some evidence …

that allows us to contemplate what empiricists might study when using firm-level data to compare the functioning of cities …