Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/298604 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
EHES Working Paper No. 256
Publisher: 
European Historical Economics Society (EHES), s.l.
Abstract: 
Depopulation, especially, but not only, rural, has become a major concern across many countries. As one type of place-based policy, irrigation has been claimed to contribute to resettling populations and reducing outward migration, by increasing agricultural output, productivity, and competitiveness and, consequently, employment and living standards. This paper aims to elucidate on the relationship between irrigation and population for Spain, historically and currently the most irrigated country and one of the most depopulated countries in Europe. We use municipal-level data over the period 1910-2011 and exploit a staggered difference-in-differences design. Overall, we find an effect on population only for irrigation developments that started in the relatively distant past. In any case, effects are temporary or tend to level off. We also consider trade-offs. We discuss the policy implications of the findings in light of current policies, and in terms of environmental and economic costs of increasing the intensity of irrigation.
Subjects: 
Depopulation
place-based policies
irrigation programs
long-term view
staggered DiD
Spain
JEL: 
J11
Q15
Q25
R11
N54
N94
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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