Urban density, trust, and knowledge sharing in Lusaka, Zambia
Authors
Calvin Chiu
Senior Research Associate, Innovations for Poverty Action
Alexia Delfino
PhD candidate, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Edward Glaeser
Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics, Harvard UniversityNicholas Swanson
PhD Student, University of California - Berkeley-
Ashraf-et-al-2017-Policy-Brief_rev.pdf
PDF document • 3.54 MB
- This project aims to investigate the channels through which urban agglomeration can foster (or hinder) firm growth in developing countries.
- This brief presents the first stage of this research agenda, the collection of a new dataset mapping the spatial distribution of all the businesses in Lusaka: the Lusaka Census of Urban Entrepreneurs (47,428 firms), integrated with a short survey administered to manufacturers with less than 20 employees (2,216 firms).
- The combination of these datasets allows researchers to provide evidence of agglomeration patterns within the city and to investigate correlates of business density, such as trust in other individuals.
- The quantitative evidence supports the view that spontaneous agglomerations of firms within cities are a potential source of knowledge spillovers and business opportunities, which in inform growth policies. However, more research into the mechanisms of business cooperation and growth within clusters is needed.