Journal of Regional Science· 2026Q1
High‐Speed Railways and Firms' Total Factor Productivity: Evidence From a Quasi‐Natural Experiment
- 3citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Connecting to a high-speed rail (HSR) network increased firms' total factor productivity (TFP) by 5% in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- HSR station opening increased firms' TFP by ~5% in Reggio Emilia (2010-2018).
- Firms closer to the HSR station experienced a larger TFP increase.
- The TFP impact varied across different industries, firm sizes, and past productivity levels.
- Results are robust to sensitivity checks and falsification tests.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
ABSTRACT The focus of this study is to assess the causal impact of the connection of a local area to a high‐speed rail network (HSR) on firms' total factor productivity (TFP). The quasi‐random location of the HSR station in the Italian city of Reggio Emilia is exploited in a Difference‐in‐Differences research design applied to a large sample of firms, observed over the period 2010–2018. The results suggest that the opening of the HSR station improved treated firms' TFP by about 5%; in particular, such an effect is larger for firms closer to the HSR station and slightly increases over the sample period. We also find that the impact of the connection to the HSR station is heterogeneous across industries and depends on firms' size and past productivity. Overall results are robust to a large number of sensitivity checks and falsification tests.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Regional Science, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: General Economics, Econometrics and Finance
General Economics, Econometrics and FinanceEconomics, Econometrics and Finance