Urbanization and the Wealth of Nations

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1153057
• Publication Date: 2008-02-07T23:48:20Z
• Authors: David E. Bloom; David Canning; Günther Fink
• Keywords: Crowding; Crowding out; Environmental degradation

The proportion of a country's population living in urban areas is highly correlated with its level income. Urban offer economies scale and richer market structures, there strong evidence that workers are individually more productive, earn more, than rural workers. However, rapid urbanization also associated crowding, environmental degradation, other impediments to productivity. Overall, we find no the affects rate economic growth. Our findings weaken rationale for either encouraging or discouraging as part strategy