There is a long-standing debate on the effect of Italian unification (1861) on the country’s dual development. We estimate the causal impact of unification on agricultural share, literacy and railway density for the South and the Centre-North by analysing a newly assembled panel of countries/regions with the synthetic control method. Our findings suggest that over the fifty years following the birth of the unified state, neither area drew generalized benefits from unification. Consolidation delayed industrialization in both macro areas. However, the South benefited from a strong spread of rail infrastructure, while the Centre-North enjoyed a pronounced increase in literacy.
Barone, G., Chilosi, D., Ciccarelli, C., de Blasio, G. (2025). The effects of Italy’s unification on its dual development: a synthetic control approach. EUROPEAN REVIEW OF ECONOMIC HISTORY [10.1093/ereh/heaf001].
The effects of Italy’s unification on its dual development: a synthetic control approach
Carlo Ciccarelli
;
2025-01-01
Abstract
There is a long-standing debate on the effect of Italian unification (1861) on the country’s dual development. We estimate the causal impact of unification on agricultural share, literacy and railway density for the South and the Centre-North by analysing a newly assembled panel of countries/regions with the synthetic control method. Our findings suggest that over the fifty years following the birth of the unified state, neither area drew generalized benefits from unification. Consolidation delayed industrialization in both macro areas. However, the South benefited from a strong spread of rail infrastructure, while the Centre-North enjoyed a pronounced increase in literacy.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
EREH-2023-085.R2_Proof_hi.pdf
non disponibili
Descrizione: pdf della versione accettata dicembre 2024
Tipologia:
Documento in Pre-print
Licenza:
Non specificato
Dimensione
2.67 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
2.67 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri Richiedi una copia |
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.