JUE insight: Migration, transportation infrastructure, and the spatial transmission of COVID-19 in China

Author

Bingjing LI, National University of Singapore
Lin MA, Singapore Management UniversityFollow

Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

submittedVersion

Publication Date

1-2022

Abstract

This paper evaluates the impacts of migration flows and transportation infrastructure on the spatial transmission of COVID-19 in China. Prefectures with larger bilateral migration flows and shorter travel distances with Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, experienced a wider spread of COVID-19. In addition, richer prefectures with higher incomes were better able to contain the virus at the early stages of community transmission. Using a spatial general equilibrium model, we show that around 28% of the infections outside Hubei province can be explained by the rapid development in transportation infrastructure and the liberalization of migration restrictions in the recent decade.

Keywords

COVID-19, Spatial transmission, Migration, Transportation infrastructure, General equilibrium spatial model

Discipline

Asian Studies | Behavioral Economics | Public Health | Regional Economics | Transportation

Research Areas

Applied Microeconomics

Publication

Journal of Urban Economics

Volume

127

First Page

1

Last Page

8

ISSN

0094-1190

Identifier

10.1016/j.jue.2021.103351

Publisher

Elsevier

Citation

LI, Bingjing and MA, Lin. JUE insight: Migration, transportation infrastructure, and the spatial transmission of COVID-19 in China. (2022). Journal of Urban Economics. 127, 1-8.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soe_research/2503

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2021.103351