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|Has author=Hornbeck
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Return to [[BPP Field Exam Papers 2012]]
==Empirical Questions: ==
=== What do the authors tests achieve?===
Findings include that from 1880 to 1890 and 1890 to 1900 counties with the least woodland made large relative gains in the improvement of farmland. By contrast, there were no substantial changes at low woodland areas before 1880 or after 1900 or in higher woodland areas from 1880-1900.
===How could the tests be improved on? Strengths? Weaknesses?===
=== How does the author rule out alternative hypotheses? ===
*Counties with less woodland tend to be further west, so there is concern that estimates could be measuring some push towards increased western development. Results are robust to control for distance west of StL.
*There is also a worry that counties with different woodland levels may be suited to different crops, so changes in prices/technologies contribute to differential growth. Merge data with soil data and allow for differential quadratic growth trends.
*Convergence? The author adds controls for 1870 level of outcome interacted with each decade to allow for differential growth.
*Construction of Railroad lines my be endogenous and effect barbwire development. Add controls in country railroad track mileage.
