We estimate the relationship between urban spatial expansion and its socio-economic determinants in Lombardy, the most urbanised region of Italy (and one of the most urbanized of the European Union), at the municipality level. Test results suggest that this relationship varies significantly...

Larger cities typically give rise to two opposite effects: tougher competition among firms and higher production costs. Using an urban model with substitutability of production factors and pro-competitive effects, I study the response of the market outcome to city size, land-use regulations, and...

Despite the large impact institutions have on the allocation of population, it remains an open question which institutions produce an efficient allocation of people across cities. Due to agglomeration, differences in amenities, and congestion, cities experience decreasing returns to population...