Urbanization and Economic Growth.

本研究项目将采用实验方法研究进入城市可能导致经济和社会变化的两个渠道：市场和更密集的社会网络。城市是创新创业的集散地，是经济增长的重要动力。然而，关于城市经济效益背后的机制，几乎没有可靠的经验证据，因为城市化是伴随着一些社会和经济变化而发生的。这些实验包括为农村居民提供前往城市市场和城市社会活动的免费交通。接触市场已被证明与更好的合作和对匿名陌生人的更多信任有关；经济成功的两个关键因素。通过促进更密集的社会网络，城市可以促进思想的交流，推动创新。因此，减少进入城市的障碍可以促进商业关系，提供有关新机会和新想法的信息，然后个人可以将其带回社区。这项研究将为农村居民进入城市中心的重要性提供可信的因果估计。在此过程中，它将提供证据，证明城市中心通过这些不同机制促进经济增长的重要性。这一研究项目的结果将为决策者提供一种机制，将农村地区与城市地区联系起来，从而减少城乡收入差距。本研究项目将研究如何随机推出一项计划，为生活在农村地区的人提供城市交通便利。这个“城市通道计划”由一家非政府组织实施，为农村居民提供每周定期前往最近的大城市的交通服务。该计划有两个组成部分，这将是研究的“治疗组”。在“市场”部门，非政府组织提供直达城市中心市场的交通工具，并鼓励参与者随心所欲地在那里买卖商品。在“社会”治疗方面，NGO提供交通工具到城市，并邀请他们参加一个或多个社会团体活动，可以是舞蹈/音乐团体，也可以是教会团体。将参与者随机分配到这些治疗组或对照组，将使pi能够估计为农村居民提供更多进入城市的机会，特别是进入城市市场和社会网络的因果效应。该项目将研究这种暴露如何影响个人的经济行为和福祉、信仰和价值观、心理特征和社会互动。这一研究项目的结果将为决策者提供一种机制，将农村地区与城市地区联系起来，从而减少城乡收入差距。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This research project will use experimental methods to study two channels through which access to cities may cause economic and social change: markets and denser social networks. Cities are hubs of innovation and entrepreneurship, both important drivers of economic growth. However, there is little credible empirical evidence about the mechanisms behind the economic benefits of cities because urbanization occurs alongside several social and economic change. The experiments involve providing free transportation of rural dwellers to urban markets as well as urban social events. Exposure to markets has been shown to be associated with greater cooperation and more trust in anonymous strangers; two key ingredients for a successful economy. By facilitating denser social networks, cities enable the cross-fertilization of ideas and drive innovation. Reducing barriers to urban access could thus promote business relations, provide information about new opportunities, and new ideas that individuals could then bring back to their communities. This research will provide credible causal estimates of the importance of access to urban centers for rural dwellers. In doing this, it will provide evidence about the importance of these different mechanisms through which urban centers facilitate economic growth. The results of this research project will provide policy makers a mechanism to link rural areas with urban areas and thus reduce the rural-urban income differential.This research project will study the randomized rollout of a program that facilitates urban access for people living in rural areas. Implemented by an NGO, this `City Access Program' provides rural dwellers with regular weekly transportation to the nearest large city. The program has two components, which will be the `treatment arms' of the study. In the `market’ arm, the NGO provides transportation directly to the city’s central market and encourages participants to buy or sell goods there as they please. In the `social’ treatment arm, NGO provides transportation to the city along with an invitation to attend one or more of a series of social group activities, either a dancing/music group or a church group. The random assignment of participants to these treatments or to control group will allow the PIs to estimate causal effects of providing rural dwellers with greater access to the city in general—and to urban markets and social networks in particular. The project will examine how such exposure affects individuals’ economic behaviors and wellbeing, beliefs and values, psychological traits, and social interactions. The results of this research project will provide policy makers a mechanism to link rural areas with urban areas and thus reduce the rural-urban income differential.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.