Somik V. Lall's Books

Which Way to Livable and Productive Cities?

A Road Map for Sub-Saharan Africa

By: Kirsten Hommann,Somik V. Lall

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Which Way to Livable and Productive Cities?

A Road Map for Sub-Saharan Africa

By: Kirsten Hommann,Somik V. Lall

For African cities to grow economically as they have grown in size, they must create productive environments to attract investments, increase economic efficiency, and create livable environments that prevent urban costs from rising with increased population densification. What are the central obstacles that prevent African cities and towns from becoming sustainable engines of economic growth and prosperity? Among the most critical factors that limit the growth and livability of urban areas are land markets, investments in public infrastructure and assets, and the institutions to enable both. To unleash the potential of African cities and towns for delivering services and employment in a livable and environmentally friendly environment, a sequenced approach is needed to reform institutions and policies and to target infrastructure investments. This book lays out three foundations that need fixing to guide cities and towns throughout Sub-Saharan Africa on their way to productivity and livability.

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World Bank Publications

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ISBN 10

1464814058

ISBN 13

9781464814051

Planning, Connecting, and Financing Cities — Now

Priorities for City Leaders

By: Somik V. Lall,The World Bank

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Planning, Connecting, and Financing Cities — Now

Priorities for City Leaders

By: Somik V. Lall,The World Bank

This report was written by a team led by Somik V. Lall"--P. xi.

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Page Count

132

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World Bank Publications

Published Date

ISBN 10

0821398393

ISBN 13

9780821398395

Business Environment, Clustering, and Industry Location

Evidence from Indian Cities

By: Somik V. Lall,Taye Mengistae

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Business Environment, Clustering, and Industry Location

Evidence from Indian Cities

By: Somik V. Lall,Taye Mengistae

Abstract: How do differences in the local business environment influence location of industry within countries? How do the benefits of a good business environment compare with those from good market access and agglomeration economies from industry clustering? The authors examine these questions by analyzing location decisions of individual firms. Using data from a recently completed survey of manufacturing firms in India, they find that both the local business environment and agglomeration economies significantly influence business location choices across cities. In particular, excessive regulation of labor and of other industrial activities reduces the probability of a business locating in a city. The authors ' findings imply that in order to attract industrial activity, smaller or remoter cities need to offer even more attractive policy concessions or reforms to offset the effects of their relatively adverse (economic) geography. Their methodology pays special attention to the identification of agglomeration economies in the presence of unobserved sources of natural advantage.

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World Bank Publications

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ISBN 10

0508031036

ISBN 13

9780508031034

Place, Productivity, and Prosperity

Revisiting Spatially Targeted Policies for Regional Development

By: Arti Grover,Somik Lall,William Maloney

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Place, Productivity, and Prosperity

Revisiting Spatially Targeted Policies for Regional Development

By: Arti Grover,Somik Lall,William Maloney

Place matters for productivity and prosperity. Myriad factors support a successful place, including not only the hard infrastructure such as roads, but also the softer elements such as worker skills, entrepreneurial ability, and well-functioning institutions. History suggests that prosperous places tend to persist, while “left behind†? regions, or those hurt by climatic, technological, or commercial shocks, struggle to catch up. This division gives rise to demands to “do something†? about the subsequent spatial inequality. Such pressures often result in costly spatially targeted policies whose outcomes disappoint because of a lack of analysis of the underlying barriers to growth and structural transformation and a fair appraisal of the possibility of overcoming them. The latest volume of the World Bank Productivity Project series, Place, Productivity, and Prosperity: Revisiting Spatially Targeted Policies for Regional Development makes three broad contributions. First, it provides new analytical and empirical insights into the three drivers of economic geography—agglomeration economies, migration, and distance—and the way in which they interact. Second, it argues that these forces are playing out differently in developing countries than they have in advanced countries: urbanization is not accompanied by structural transformation, leaving cities simply crowded and accruing all the negative aspects of urbanization without being productively concentrated. Long-term amelioration of poverty in lagging regions requires advancing the overall national agenda of structural change and productivity growth. Third, the volume provides a heuristic framework with which to inform policy makers’ assessments of place-based policy proposals, enabling them to identify the regions in which policy is likely to have an impact and those that are nonviable; to clarify the implications of various policy options; to think critically about policy design priorities, including necessary complementary policies to, for instance, infrastructure investment; and to navigate implementation challenges.

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309

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World Bank Publications

Published Date

ISBN 10

1464817944

ISBN 13

9781464817946

Africa's Cities

Opening Doors to the World

By: Somik Vinay Lall,J. Vernon Henderson,Anthony J. Venables

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Africa's Cities

Opening Doors to the World

By: Somik Vinay Lall,J. Vernon Henderson,Anthony J. Venables

Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing rapid population growth. Yet their economic growth has not kept pace. Why? One factor might be low capital investment, due in part to Africa’s relative poverty: Other regions have reached similar stages of urbanization at higher per capita GDP. This study, however, identifies a deeper reason: African cities are closed to the world. Compared with other developing cities, cities in Africa produce few goods and services for trade on regional and international markets To grow economically as they are growing in size, Africa’s cities must open their doors to the world. They need to specialize in manufacturing, along with other regionally and globally tradable goods and services. And to attract global investment in tradables production, cities must develop scale economies, which are associated with successful urban economic development in other regions. Such scale economies can arise in Africa, and they will—if city and country leaders make concerted efforts to bring agglomeration effects to urban areas. Today, potential urban investors and entrepreneurs look at Africa and see crowded, disconnected, and costly cities. Such cities inspire low expectations for the scale of urban production and for returns on invested capital. How can these cities become economically dense—not merely crowded? How can they acquire efficient connections? And how can they draw firms and skilled workers with a more affordable, livable urban environment? From a policy standpoint, the answer must be to address the structural problems affecting African cities. Foremost among these problems are institutional and regulatory constraints that misallocate land and labor, fragment physical development, and limit productivity. As long as African cities lack functioning land markets and regulations and early, coordinated infrastructure investments, they will remain local cities: closed to regional and global markets, trapped into producing only locally traded goods and services, and limited in their economic growth.

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Page Count

290

Publisher

World Bank Publications

Published Date

ISBN 10

1464810451

ISBN 13

9781464810459

Book's by Somik V. Lall

Which Way to Livable and Productive Cities?

Which Way to Livable and Productive Cities?

Planning, Connecting, and Financing Cities — Now

Planning, Connecting, and Financing Cities — Now

Business Environment, Clustering, and Industry Location

Business Environment, Clustering, and Industry Location

Place, Productivity, and Prosperity

Place, Productivity, and Prosperity

Africa's Cities

Africa's Cities

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