Espansione Urbana e Opportunità di Business: Approfondimenti dal Crollo dell'Unione Sovietica

This research examines the impact of changes in market access on urban expansion in the post-Soviet region. Specifically, it analyzes the impact of two categories of border changes - the partitioning of borders within the area and the elimination of the Iron Curtain - that acted as disruptions to regional trade accessibility after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991. By analyzing census data from 1970 to 2021 for 1031 cities, this paper empirically indicated that both the first group of cities located along newly established borders and the second group of cities situated along external borders experienced a decrease in the annual population growth rate compared to cities that are not located near borders. The therapy effects are more noticeable immediately after the collapse and vary depending on the area. Furthermore, by employing night lights as a substitute for measuring economic activity, the estimates from the model further provide evidence to corroborate the main results.