SEMINAR SERIES
Asian Economic Development Seminar
Junichi Yamasaki(Associate Professor, Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University)
- Date&Time:
- 2024.12.5 (Thu) 15:00-16:30
- Venue:
- Former Head Office of Forest Research Station, Graduate School of Agriculture, North Campus, Kyoto University
- Language:
- English
- Contact:
- Hisaki Kono
Title:
"Regime Change and Cities: Evidence from the Meiji Restoration"
Abstract:
This paper explores the impact of institutional reforms on urban development, focusing on the Meiji Restoration, during which approximately 250 feudal domains were consolidated into 46 prefectures. We delineate all cities by employing machine learning to digitize historical maps from the 1890s and 1920s. We find that castle cities chosen as prefectural centers increased their size and maintained good shape. Additionally, cities located more than 10 kilometers from the former castle cities, which lacked political importance during the feudal period, also experienced expansion. This suggests that the introduction of inclusive institutions resulted in both concentration at the prefectural level and dispersion at the domain level.
Please refer to this map for details of the venue.