The centre of economic activities in Japan was once in western Japan. Since the mid-nineteenth century, however, economic activities within Japan have been continuously shifting towards the east side of the country including Tokyo. Conventional wisdom associates the end of the Tokugawa feudal...

In a country where two out of five citizens, about 450 million people, live in poverty, it is no exaggeration to say that the development experience of Kerala – a coastal state on the southwestern tip of India – stands out as extraordinary. Despite a history of anemic economic growth, this...

High-speed rail (HSR) is not a “sufficient condition” but a “necessary condition” for regional development. Understanding how to use HSR for regional development is essential. Japan's Shinkansen (bullet train) has a 50-year history, and Japan has long attempted to utilize Shinkansen for...

High-speed rail (HSR) is not a "sufficient condition" but a "necessary condition" for regional development. Understanding how to use HSR for regional development is essential. Japan's Shinkansen (bullet train) has a 50-year history, and Japan has long attempted to utilize Shinkansen for regional...

We identify negative spillovers exerted by large, successful manufacturing plants on other local production facilities in China. A short-lived alliance between the U.S.S.R. and China led to the construction of 150 "Million-Rouble plants" in the 1950s. Our identification strategy exploits the...