Michael Hechter's Theory of Regional Underdevelopment: A Test Using Victorian Railways
Academic Article
Overview
Identity
Additional Document Info
Other
View All
Overview
abstract
This theory of the role of cultural differences in explaining the underdevelopment of peripheral regions within nation states argues that peripheral regions suffer undercapitalization, because core investors are prejudiced against them. To test this theory an econometric model of county railway mileage was constructed to represent the expected location of railways under a regime of market rationality and the residuals from the model were examined to see if peripheral areas receive disproportionately smaller railway nets. Suggests that at best there is small peripheral handicap.-from Author