Economic History Commons^™

Uniform Service, Uniform Productivity? Regional Efficiency Of The Imperial German Postal, Telegraph, And Telephone Service., Florian Ploeckl

Florian Ploeckl

Using the regional productivity of the Reichspost, the postal service of the German Empire, I investigate whether a public monopolist operates with uniform regional productivity. Using data envelopment analysis efficiency scores, we derive the relative productivity of the post,telegraph,andtelephonesectorsfrom1891to1908.Resultsshow a fairly stable system with substantial raw productivity differences between postal districts, and that the expansion of the service offset technological productivity increases for the mail service.

It's All In The Mail: The Economic Geography Of The German Empire, Florian Ploeckl

Florian Ploeckl

Spanning The Globe: The Rise Of Global Communications Systems And The First Globalisation, Florian Ploeckl, Markus Lampe

Florian Ploeckl

After postulating the relevance of information for trade costs we outline the rise of international communication networks (mail, telegraph, telephone) during the first globalisation of the long nineteenth century. In this period, global communications systems for the first time in history provided universal access to affordable and reliable means of communication. Using a new set of internationally comparable data on global postal flows, we analyse basic determinants of international information exchange and conclude by outlining a research agenda that links these to international trade patterns and knowledge transfer between countries.

The Internal Impact Of A Customs Union; Baden And The Zollverein, Florian Ploeckl

Florian Ploeckl

Tariffs can affect the growth of states. But how do they affect regional growth within states? Using Baden's 1836 entry into the Zollverein, the customs union of German states, I investigate the internal impact of a change in tariffs. With a new data set of regional employment data I demonstrate that the Zollverein had a substantial positive effect. Two market access effects are shown, one follows the standard market access predictions and the second triggers the direct investment by Swiss entrepreneurs in German regions close to their home base. Furthermore occupational change within the crafts sector was shifting labour towards …

Local Convergence: Baden 1829-1847, Florian Ploeckl

Florian Ploeckl

This paper investigates whether internal institutional homogenisation during nation-state formation led to internal local convergence. We use the case of Baden with a new economic measure based on tax revenues derived from archival records. Our measure of local economic activity shows no evidence for convergence, unconditional or conditional, for the period 1829–1847. However, looking at sub-periods the six year interval after Baden's 1836 entry into the Zollverein customs union exhibits an adjustment effect resembling absolute convergence. Rejecting urbanisation as the reason behind this pattern we discuss alternative mechanisms in particular the reallocation of labour.

Market Access And Information Technology Adoption: Historical Evidence From The Telephone In Bavaria, Florian Ploeckl

Florian Ploeckl

Information technology, like the telephone, influences market access; this paper answers the question about a reverse effect, does market access affect information technology, in particular its adoption? Using the historical case of the introduction of the telephone in Bavaria, I demonstrate with a rank, order and stock effects diffusion model how market access affects the diffusion of local telephone exchanges over towns as well as the rate of adoption of telephone lines within towns. The results of a duration analysis show that market access speeds up the diffusion, a spatial correlation specification demonstrates that this is not just a geographic …

Space, Settlements, Towns: The Influence Of Geography And Market Access On Settlement Distribution And Urbanization, Florian Ploeckl

Florian Ploeckl

The spatial distribution of economic activity is strongly linked to the structure of the urban system. The origin and development of the spatial pattern of this system is separated into two stages, the diffusion of settlements and their potential transition to urban status. The theoretical framework incor porates the influence of geographic characteristics and location interdependence as central mechanisms in both stages. Their relative importance for both is tested empirically with the historical settlement pattern in Saxony as a case study. After investigating with a spatial point process approach how geographic endowments and location interdependence shape the spatial distribution of …

Endowments And Market Access; The Size Of Towns In Historical Perspective: Saxony 1550-1834, Florian Ploeckl

Florian Ploeckl

The spatial concentration of people into towns shapes the population distribution, the factors explaining town size are therefore important determinants on the spatial distribution of people. This paper uses a historical case study, Saxony in 1834, to analyze empirically the relative impact of endowments and agglomeration based on the application of a New Economic Geography model. The model and data allow the analysis of the complete population distribution, from large cities down to the smallest village. The results suggest that location characteristics explain the relative size of settlements, but only 9% of absolute town and 2% of absolute village population. …