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Journal of Economic Geography 4 (2004) pp. 201-218
Journal of Economic Geography, Vol. 4, No. 2, © Oxford University Press 2004; all rights reserved.

The strategic bombing of German cities during World War II and its impact on city growth

Steven Brakman*, Harry Garretsen** and Marc Schramm***

* Department of Economics, University of Groningen, PO Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen, The Netherlands. email <s.brakman{at}eco.rug.nl>
*** Centre for German Studies (CDS), University of Nijmegen, PO Box 9103, 6500 HD Nijmegen, The Netherlands. email <m.schramm{at}cds.kun.nl>

** Author to whom correspondence should be addressed at: Utrecht School of Economics, Utrecht University, Vredenburg 138, 3511 BG Utrecht, The Netherlands. email <h.garretsen{at}econ.uu.nl>

Abstract

We construct a unique data set in order to analyse whether or not a large temporary shock has an impact on city growth. Following recent work by Davis and Weinstein on Japan, we take the strategic bombing of German cities during World War II as an example of such a shock, and analyse its impact on post-war German city growth. If the war shock has only a temporary impact, then there will be a tendency towards mean reversion. Our main finding is that the bombing had a significant but temporary impact on post-war city growth in Germany as a whole as well as in West Germany separately, but that this is not the case for city growth in East Germany.

Keywords: German city growth, World War II shock,
JEL classifications: R11, R12, R23, F12
Date submitted: 13 November 2002     Date accepted: 25 June 2003


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