The Economics of Maps
<jats:p> For centuries, maps have codified the extent of human geographic knowledge and shaped discovery and economic decision-making. Economists across many fields, including urban economics, public finance, political economy, and economic geography, have long employed maps, yet have largely...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Economic Association
2021
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/136005 |
| _version_ | 1826205277715693568 |
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| author | Nagaraj, Abhishek Stern, Scott |
| author_facet | Nagaraj, Abhishek Stern, Scott |
| author_sort | Nagaraj, Abhishek |
| collection | MIT |
| description | <jats:p> For centuries, maps have codified the extent of human geographic knowledge and shaped discovery and economic decision-making. Economists across many fields, including urban economics, public finance, political economy, and economic geography, have long employed maps, yet have largely abstracted away from exploring the economic determinants and consequences of maps as a subject of independent study. In this essay, we first review and unify recent literature in a variety of different fields that highlights the economic and social consequences of maps, along with an overview of the modern geospatial industry. We then outline our economic framework in which a given map is the result of economic choices around map data and designs, resulting in variations in private and social returns to mapmaking. We highlight five important economic and institutional factors shaping mapmakers’ data and design choices. Our essay ends by proposing that economists pay more attention to the endogeneity of mapmaking and the resulting consequences for economic and social welfare. </jats:p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:10:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/136005 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:10:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | American Economic Association |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1360052021-10-28T03:55:50Z The Economics of Maps Nagaraj, Abhishek Stern, Scott <jats:p> For centuries, maps have codified the extent of human geographic knowledge and shaped discovery and economic decision-making. Economists across many fields, including urban economics, public finance, political economy, and economic geography, have long employed maps, yet have largely abstracted away from exploring the economic determinants and consequences of maps as a subject of independent study. In this essay, we first review and unify recent literature in a variety of different fields that highlights the economic and social consequences of maps, along with an overview of the modern geospatial industry. We then outline our economic framework in which a given map is the result of economic choices around map data and designs, resulting in variations in private and social returns to mapmaking. We highlight five important economic and institutional factors shaping mapmakers’ data and design choices. Our essay ends by proposing that economists pay more attention to the endogeneity of mapmaking and the resulting consequences for economic and social welfare. </jats:p> 2021-10-27T20:30:20Z 2021-10-27T20:30:20Z 2020 2021-03-18T17:48:06Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/136005 en 10.1257/JEP.34.1.196 Journal of Economic Perspectives Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf American Economic Association American Economic Association |
| spellingShingle | Nagaraj, Abhishek Stern, Scott The Economics of Maps |
| title | The Economics of Maps |
| title_full | The Economics of Maps |
| title_fullStr | The Economics of Maps |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Economics of Maps |
| title_short | The Economics of Maps |
| title_sort | economics of maps |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/136005 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nagarajabhishek theeconomicsofmaps AT sternscott theeconomicsofmaps AT nagarajabhishek economicsofmaps AT sternscott economicsofmaps |