Papers › Tracks to Modernity: Railroads, Growth, and Social Movements in Denmark
Tracks to Modernity: Railroads, Growth, and Social Movements in Denmark
Tom Görges, Magnus Ørberg Rove, Paul Sharp, Christian Vedel
How do transport infrastructures shape economic transformation and social change? We examine the impact of railway expansion in nineteenth-century Denmark on local population growth, occupational shifts, and the diffusion of ideas. Using a historical panel dataset and a difference-in-differences approach, we document that railway access significantly increased population growth and accelerated structural change. Moreover, railway-connected areas were more likely to establish key institutions linked to civic engagement and the cooperative movement. These findings suggest that improved market access was not only a driver of economic modernization but also a catalyst for institutional and cultural transformation.
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