摘要：Rapid urbanisation is a major feature of developing countries. Some 2 billion
more people are likely to become city residents in the next 30 years, yet
urbanisation has received little attention in the modern development economics
literature. This paper reviews theoretical and empirical work on the
determinants and effects of urbanisation. This suggests that there are
substantial productivity benefits from cities, although unregulated outcomes may
well lead to excessive primacy as externalities and coordination failures
inhibit decentralisation of economic activity. Policy should operate both by
identifying and addressing these market failures, and by seeking to remove
institutional obstacles to decentralisation.
