Agglomeration Index: Towards a New Measure of Urban Concentration

From:
Department for International Development
Published
1 January 2010
Document Type:
Working Paper
Theme:
Economic Growth
Authors:
Nelson, A., Uchida, H.

Abstract

A common challenge in analyzing urbanization is the data. The United Nations (UN) compiles information on urbanization (urban population and its share of total national population) that is reported by various countries but there is no standardized definition of ‘urban’, resulting in inconsistencies. This situation is particularly troublesome if one wishes to conduct a cross-country analysis or determine the aggregate urbanization status of the regions (such as Asia or Latin America) and the world. This paper proposes an alternative to the UN measure of urban concentration that we call an agglomeration index.

Citation

Uchida, H.; Nelson, A. Agglomeration Index: Towards a New Measure of Urban Concentration. UNU-WIDER, Helsinki, Finland (2010) 18 pp. ISBN 978-92-9230-264-1 [WIDER Working Paper No. 2010/29]

Agglomeration Index: Towards a New Measure of Urban Concentration

Published 1 January 2010
Contents