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Alexandra Cermeno

Alexandra L Cermeño

Researcher

Alexandra Cermeno

The geographical origins of the wealth of regions

Author

  • Alexandra L. Cermeño
  • Carla Salvo
  • Jacob Weisdorf

Summary, in English

Why are some regions rich and others poor? This study investigates the geographical origins of Italy’s persistent regional income gap. Using municipal population density as both a proxy for historical income and an outcome shaped by geography, we show that first-nature advantages, such as mild climates and fertile soils, predict higher population density in Northern Italy from the earliest available data (c. 500 AD). Second-nature forces (agglomeration and market connectivity) then reinforced this initial lead. We find that first- and second-nature geography jointly predict half of today’s municipal variation in income per capita, whereas Italy’s pre-unification regional histories account for only about one-fifth.

Department/s

  • Department of Economic History
  • Economic development of the Global South
  • Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)
  • MECW: The Middle East in the Contemporary World

Publishing year

2026-03-05

Language

English

Pages

339-416

Publication/Series

Cliometrica

Volume

20

Issue

2

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Economic History

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1863-2513