An interim report of a research project on “Comparative Studies of Trends in Regional Structures”
Interim Report
Edited by Kenmei Tsubota
Cover / Contents (201KB)
chapter 1
Partition, Independence, and Maritime Networks in South Asia (308KB) / Cesar Ducruet and Kenmei Tsubota
This research project is an attempt to quantitatively evaluate the impact of Partition of India on maritime networks in South Asia. As the interim report, this paper explains the current stage of data collection, empirical strategy, validity of the event for a study, and the tasks left for the next year. By the late 19th century, most of the regions in South Asia had been governed by British Empire. As the British colony, these regions shared similar administrations, institutions and commercial practices. After the Second World War, decolonization in South Asia brought the Partition of India and Independence of countries. These subsequent events can be seen as disintegration of regions and offer a potential scope for studies on the impacts of these institutional changes on maritime transport networks. With new database of vessel movements among ports within South Asia and the rest of the world for 1890-2000, we explain how the maritime transport networks evolved in South Asia. We compare the trends of ship calls for regions, countries, and ports, specifically before and after 1945. Applying the methodology developed by Redding, Sturm and Wolf (2011), who explored the airport competition and the impact of division of Germany, we analyze the competition among ports in maritime networks with partition and independence of countries in South Asia.
chapter 2
Port cities and their hinterlands in British India (368KB) / Michihiro Ogawa, Noriyuki Osada, and Kenmei Tsubota
This research is an attempt to examine the regional structures and their links with the changing trade and transport costs. As the interim report, this paper explains the choice of port cities, the current stage of data collection, and preliminary analysis of employment structure and its changes of a port city, Rangoon. It studies port cities and their hinterlands from 1901 to 1931 in British India. Firstly, using the inland trade data, we find the regional linkages of port cities and neighbouring regions. Secondly, with trade data, and maritime vessel movement data, we examine the characteristics of port cities. Thirdly, we examine the regional structures and their trends within and among them.
chapter 3
Possibility for the Compilation of District-wise Agricultural Production Data in Bengal from 1901/02 to 2001/02 and the impact of Partition in India(491KB) / Takashi Kurosaki, Abu Shonchoy, and Kenmei Tsubota
This research is an attempt to quantitatively evaluate the impact of Partition of India on agricultural productivity in Bengal. As the interim report, this paper explains the current stage of data collection, empirical strategy, validity of the event for a study, and the tasks left for the next year. As Kurosaki (2015) and Kurosaki (2017) have compiled the longitudinal data on agricultural productivity, we are preparing complementary data for Bengal at district for colonial period and post-colonial period. Having some evidences that the boundary drawn in 1947 was exogenous for people, we evaluate the impacts of the partition on agricultural productivity. We will follow the empirical strategy proposed by Redding and Sturm (2008). This report examines the possibility of the data compilation for such analysis.