We offer new evidence on the spatial economic impact of Italian unification. Adopting municipal population as a proxy for local economic activity, we construct a new geocoded dataset spanning the pre- and post-unification periods and discover robust evidence of an acceleration in growth near the former borders. A disproportionate improvement in market access boosted growth in these locations when barriers to trade were dismantled. Indirectly, unification’s decisive contribution to intraregional market integration, local specialization and exchange, and economic development is revealed.

中文翻译：

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意大利统一时期的内部边界和人口地理

我们提供了关于意大利统一的空间经济影响的新证据。采用城市人口作为当地经济活动的代表，我们构建了一个跨越统一前后时期的新地理编码数据集，并发现了前边界附近增长加速的有力证据。当贸易壁垒被拆除时，市场准入的显着改善促进了这些地区的经济增长。间接地，揭示了统一对区域内市场一体化、地方专业化和交流以及经济发展的决定性贡献。