Pollution, Crime and Mistrust Across Space: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa
This paper asks whether the spatial distribution of key disamenities can explain the observed differences in living standards
Abstract
Striking differences in living standards between urban and rural areas in low income countries pose a puzzle for growth economists. In a conventional spatial equilibrium model, utility is assumed to be equal across locations; otherwise an individual would have an incentive to move. Whether disamenities compensate individuals for the higher standard of living in urban areas remains largely untested.
This paper asks whether the spatial distribution of key disamenities can explain the observed differences in living standards in Sub-Saharan Africa.
A new dataset is constructed that links geo-located household surveys on crime, mistrust, living conditions, and satellite-derived measures of pollution with gridded population density data. This allows to view outcomes through the lens of population density in addition to a traditional urban/rural distinction
This paper is a part of a Global Research Programme on Spatial Development of Cities, funded by the Multi Donor Trust Fund on Sustainable Urbanization of the World Bank and supported by the UK Department for International Development
Citation
Martina Kirchberger (2016) Pollution, Crime and Mistrust Across Space: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa
Links
Pollution, Crime and Mistrust Across Space: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa