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Pirate attacks and the shape of the Italian urban system

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  • Accetturo, Antonio
  • Cascarano, Michele
  • de Blasio, Guido

Abstract

From the sixteenth to the early nineteenth century, coastal areas of Italy (especially, in the south-west) were subject to attacks by pirates launched from the shores of Northern Africa. This paper studies the long-run impact of these events. We show that in areas that were more exposed to raids, easier-to-defend but less productive locations ended up in being relatively more populated. The consequences of pirates’ attacks were still visible in the first part of the twentieth century and ceased to be statistically significant after the 1960s.

Suggested Citation

  • Accetturo, Antonio & Cascarano, Michele & de Blasio, Guido, 2024. "Pirate attacks and the shape of the Italian urban system," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:regeco:v:108:y:2024:i:c:s0166046224000668
    DOI: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2024.104035
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    Cited by:

    1. Antonio Accetturo & Andrea Lamorgese & Sauro Mocetti & Paolo Sestito, 2019. "Local Development, Urban Economies and Aggregate Growth," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 5(2), pages 191-204, July.
    2. Lin, Jeffrey & Rauch, Ferdinand, 2022. "What future for history dependence in spatial economics?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    3. Antonio Accetturo & Sauro Mocetti, 2019. "Historical Origins and Developments of Italian Cities," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 5(2), pages 205-222, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    City size distribution; Historical shocks; Local development;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R1 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics
    • N9 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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