The Economic Effects of Geography: Colombia as a Case Study.

Los efectos económicos de la geografía: Colombia como caso de estudio. (Spanish)

This paper quantifies the economic impact of geographical features using Colombian data at the municipal level. We use the proportion of slave population in 1835 as an instrument of current institutions. We find that, controlling for institutional quality, geographical characteristics, such as the percentage of flat terrain, the proximity to the marketplace and the proximity to the main rivers are statistically-significant determinants of income per capita and have large economic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Este articulo cuantifica el impacto económico de las caracteristicas geográficos utilizando datos de Colombia a nivel municipal. Utilizamos el porcentaje de población esclava en 1835 como instrumento de las instituciones actuales. Encontramos que controlando por la calidad institucional, caracteristicas geográficas, como el porcentaje de terreno piano, la proximidad a los mercados y la proximidad a ríos importantes, son determinantes estadisticamente significativos del ingreso per capita y tienen efectos económicos significativos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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