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Quigley JEP (1998). Survey on economies of scale and growth:. Glasear JEP (1998). Summarizes economies of scale to asses the demand for cities in the future. Will cities disappear or continue growing. Agglomeration Economies: Scale economies in transportation and production Labor pooling
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Quigley JEP (1998) • Survey on economies of scale and growth:
Glasear JEP (1998) • Summarizes economies of scale to asses the demand for cities in the future. • Will cities disappear or continue growing. • Agglomeration Economies: • Scale economies in transportation and production • Labor pooling • Informational Spillovers at city level • Worker’s Productivity Enhancement • Face to face interactions
Glasear JEP (1998) (Cont.) • Congesting forces: • Higher costs of living • Higher Commuting costs • Pollution Costs • Crime • Selective migration (poverty)
The Size of the City (3 steps) • The size of the city is determined thus by: • Localization economies: Different intensities across industries yield cities of different sizes • Urbanization economies: Firms under urbanization economies are attracted to big urban areas, enhancing the differences • Consumer spending: Bigger cities support more products
So far we have seen: • Why do cities exist? • Economies of Scale in Production • Economies of Scale in Transportation • What determines the size of the city? • Localization Economies • Urbanization Economies • Shopping Economies • TODAY: Understand where cities exist by looking at the location decision of firms.
Chapter 4 Where do Firms Locate?
Goal of the Lecture • Study the location decision of the firm • The location decision of the firm is based on Profit Maximization: • Transportation costs • Local Inputs • Localization Economies • Urbanization Economies • Taxes • Public Goods and Services
Transfer Oriented Firms • Transportation costs are the main type of costs. • Firm chooses location: min Transport Cost=Procurement Cost + Distribution Cost • X- Distance between firm and input source • Xm-Distance between input source and market location • Procurement Cost: witiX • Distribution Cost: woto(Xm-X) • wjPhysical Weight; tj Transportation rate • wjtj Monetary Weight
Assumptions of the Model • Single transferable input • Single transferable output • Fixed factor proportion • Fixed Prices • Firm problem becomes to choose a X s.t.: min witiX-woto (Xm-X)
Resource Oriented Firm • witi>woto • Firm’s location is close to input source • In general if the input is bulky, perishable, fragile or hazardous. • Examples: • Baseball bats • Canned Fruit $ Total Transportation Cost Procurement Cost Procurement Cost Distribution Cost Distribution Cost Input Source Market X Distance to Input Source X Distance to Input Source
$ Total Cost Procurement Cost Distribution Cost Input Source Market Distance to Input Source Market Oriented Firm • witi<woto • Firm’s location is close to the market. • Output is bulky, perishable or hazardous. • Examples: • Automobiles • Bakery
The Principle of Median Location • Remove the assumption of single output or single market • Assume that the city is a straight line • Firm distributes output to consumers in different locations • What location will the city choose?
The Principle of Median Location • The optimal location for the firm is the one that splits the number of consumers in two equal halves • Where would the firm locate? Point C • Move to D: Gain 10x$t ; Loss 11x$t • Move to B: Gain 10x$t ; Loss 11x$t Distance A B C D E F G H I J K Costumers 2 8 1 10
The Principle of Median Location • Where would the firm locate? Point K • Move to J: Gain 16x$t ; Loss 17x$t • Move to D: Gain 16x7x$t ; Loss 17x7x$t Distance A B C D E F G H I J K Costumers 4 4 4 4 17
Transportation Costs and Labor Market • Firm locates close to market and input source $ Total Costs Transportation Costs Labor Costs T Distance from Market and Input Source
Transportation Costs and Labor Market (Cont) • Firm locates away from market and input source. $ Total Costs Transportation Costs Labor Costs T Distance from Market and Input Source
Group Discussion (4 people to a group) • Rank your city by size (Population) • What are the localization and urbanization economies in your city? • Does your discussion correctly predicts the rank size of the city?
The Role of Government • Economic Development Programs: • Property-tax abatements • Low interest loans • Wage subsidies • Free land and infrastructure • Services to improve productivity Bartik, Timothy J. “Jobs, productivity, and local economic development: What Implications Does Economic Research have for the Role of Government,” National Tax Journal, Dec 1994, 47(4), pp 847861.
Are Programs Efficient? Discussion • Program should exits only if there exists a Market Failure • Ideal World; w=w* → wt ≥ PC • Does Marginal Benefit=Marginal Cost? • Underinvestment of information and knowledge of small firms? • Are new jobs in one area, lost jobs in another? • External Spillovers?