We show that the creation of the first integrated pan-European transport network during Roman times influences economic integration over two millennia. Drawing on spatially highly disaggregated data on excavated Roman ceramics, we document that interregional trade was strongly influenced by...

Although the entrepreneurship process begins with individuals with relatively unique personal attributes and a likely penchant for risk taking and achievement, entrepreneurs are “hardly lone individuals who rely primarily on their extraordinary efforts and talents to overcome the difficulties...

Policy makers at all levels of government believe that one of the key drivers of local economic growth is new businesses. Therefore, governments design policy with the intention of attracting businesses with the hopes that this will create future growth in struggling areas. Over the past few...

We test a New Economic Geography (NEG) model for U.S. counties, employing a new strategy that allows us to bring the full NEG model to the data, and to assess selected elements of this model separately. We find no empirical support for the full NEG model. Regional wages in the U.S. do not...

This paper empirically examines the impact of entry by Wal-Mart on competition in the supermarket industry. Using a detailed panel dataset spanning 1994 to 2006, we estimate the impact of Wal-Mart on firm outcomes and market structure, controlling for persistent local trends and systematic...

During the last three decades, the number of lawyers working for large U.S. corporate law firms has increased dramatically. This study draws upon the economic geography literature on producer services and global cities to outline a theoretical framework for the location and growth of large...