Publicacions

Tsiachtsiras, G.; Yin, D.; Miguelez, E.; Moreno, R.
  • Any: 2025
    Trains of thought: High-Speed Rail and innovation in China. Industry and Innovation, 1–17
    DOI: 10.1080/13662716.2025.2541679
    Abstract:
    This paper explores the effect of the High-Speed Rail (HSR) on local technological change of Chinese cities. Using exogenous variation arising from the courier’s stations during the Ming dynasty as instrument, as well as a large number of controls and fixed effects, we find evidence that the opening of an HSR station increases cities’ innovation activity. The paper also looks at the effect of the HSR on the technological trajectories of cities. Computing least-cost paths between city-pairs, we obtain that the probability of a city to branch into a new technological field is related to the current portfolio of the cities to which it connects through the HSR network.