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Railways and Price Convergence in British India

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  • Andrabi, Tahir
  • Kuehlwein, Michael

Abstract

The period 1861 to 1920 witnessed sharp price convergence in British Indian grain markets. Previous research attributed this to the construction of railways. But tests examining price differences between districts provide surprisingly weak support for that hypothesis. Railways mattered, but seem capable of explaining only about 20 percent of the decline in price dispersion. One explanation may be that India was a partially integrated economy at the time of railroad expansion. Lines connecting districts on preexisting trade routes had very small price effects. There is also some evidence of a “border effect” on lines between British India and princely states.

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  • Andrabi, Tahir & Kuehlwein, Michael, 2010. "Railways and Price Convergence in British India," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 70(2), pages 351-377, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:70:y:2010:i:02:p:351-377_00
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Dan Bogart & Latika Chaudhary, 2012. "Regulation, Ownership, and Costs: A Historical Perspective from Indian Railways," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 4(1), pages 28-57, February.
    2. Fenske, James & Kala, Namrata, 2021. "Linguistic Distance and Market Integration in India," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 81(1), pages 1-39, March.
    3. Sam Jones & César Salazar, 2021. "Infrastructure Improvements and Maize Market Integration: Bridging the Zambezi in Mozambique," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(2), pages 620-642, March.
    4. Hayakawa, Kazunobu & Tsubota, Kenmei, 2022. "The impact of highways on commodity prices: The price of butter in Japan," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    5. Chilosi, David & Federico, Giovanni, 2015. "Early globalizations: The integration of Asia in the world economy, 1800–1938," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 1-18.
    6. Fenske, James & Kala, Namrata & Wei, Jinlin, 2023. "Railways and cities in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    7. Guo, Yibei & Dong, Baomin, 2021. "Railway and trade in modern China: Evidence from the 1930s," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    8. Tahir Andrabi & Sheetal Bharat & Michael Kuehlwein, 2021. "Information And Price Convergence:Telegraphs In British India," BASE University Working Papers 04/2021, BASE University, Bengaluru, India.
    9. Obaco, Moisés & Pontarollo, Nicola & Mendieta Muñoz, Rodrigo & Díaz-Sánchez, Juan Pablo, 2022. "On the association between housing deprivation and urban size: Evidence from South Asia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    10. Matthew McCartney, 2018. "The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): Considering Contemporary Pakistan through Old-Fashioned Economics and Historical Case Studies," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 23(2), pages 19-48, July-Dec.
    11. Bassino, Jean-Pascal & van der Eng, Pierre, 2019. "Japan and the Asian Divergence: Market Integration, Climate Anomalies and Famines during the 18th and 19th Centuries," CEI Working Paper Series 2018-18, Center for Economic Institutions, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    12. Bertazzini, Mattia C., 2018. "The long-term impact of Italian colonial roads in the Horn of Africa, 1935-2000," Economic History Working Papers 87074, London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Economic History.
    13. Colleoni, Marco, 2024. "The long-term welfare effects of colonial institutions: Evidence from Central India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).

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