NBER Working Group Descriptions

The NBER working group on Urban Economics brings together scholars who work on the economics of cities. The overarching theme of the group is the causes and consequences of metropolitan density, but the group is interested in all areas of economics that touch on urban life. For example, the group has a strong interested in local public finance and local tax issues. Agglomeration economies, which are so important to the success of cities, are also of primary concern. More generally, the group is interested in papers on real estate, urban poverty, racial relations and segregation in cities, urban crime and other local amenities, and transportation technologies. The American city is undergoing a massive transformation as high density cities of the 19th century are replaced by the lower density, car-oriented cities of today. As such, this is a particularly exciting period to work on the the economics of urban areas. The group will meet one or two times per year, and at some future point will try to assemble current research into a bureau conference volume.