摘要：A central prediction of a large class of theoretical models is that industry
location is not necessarily uniquely determined by fundamentals. In these
models, historical accident or expectations determine which of several
steady-state locations is selected. Despite the theoretical prominence of these
ideas, there is surprisingly little systematic evidence on their empirical
relevance. This paper exploits the combination of the division of Germany after
the Second World War and the reunification of East and West Germany as an
exogenous shock to industry location. We focus on a particular economic activity
and establish that division caused a shift of Germany’s air hub from Berlin to
Frankfurt and there is no evidence of a return of the air hub to Berlin after
reunification. We develop a body of evidence that the relocation of the air hub
is not driven by a change in economic fundamentals but is instead a shift
between multiple steady-states.
关键词：Industry Location, Economic Geography, German Division, German Reunification
