“Cultural exchange and the birth of international development” June 2024 | Draft coming soon
Coming soon
“Industrial Spillovers from Agricultural Processing: Evidence from the Beet Sugar Industry” (Submitted)
June 2024 | Draft | SSRN
This paper investigates the role of agricultural processing as a bridge between agricultural productivity growth and local industrial development through the U.S. beet sugar industry, which processes a heavy and perishable crop requiring large-scale local facilities near farmlands. To address the endogenous location choice of plant openings, I use a trade journal that lists potential sites for beet sugar plants. By comparing counties where factories were established with those not ultimately selected, I find that plant openings had long-lasting effects on both manufacturing and agricultural activities over one hundred years. These effects stem from local spillovers through input-output linkages rather than from improvements in public goods or amenities.