京都大学 大学院経済学研究科・経済学部

(Title)

"The Partition of India and the Spatial Restructuring of
Maritime Networks"

Abstract : This paper examines how permanent political borders reshape transport networks, using the 1947 Partition of India as a historical shock to regional integration. We construct a digitized port-pair dataset from the Lloyd's Shipping Index that tracks vessel movements across nearly a century and estimate Difference-in-Differences specifications within a structural gravity framework. We find that the Partition significantly reduced vessel movements on routes that shifted from domestic to international status. After accounting for network-wide diversion, this direct disruption was followed by a delayed reallocation of traffic toward alternative domestic routes, indicating that the adjustment of transport networks occurred gradually rather than immediately. The Partition also altered the topology of the maritime network. Established colonial hubs lost regional connectivity, while newly formed national gateways expanded their domestic and global connections. These changes were accompanied by a weakening of historical links with the United Kingdom and greater diversification of international connections. Overall, the results show that political disintegration can have persistent effects on transport networks by disrupting established links and inducing a long-run reorganization of maritime connectivity.

Pre-registration is required to participate in this seminar.
Please register yourself from the weblink below.

http://www.econ.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~jinji/Project/seminar_EN.html

Registration will open approximately two weeks in advance.