Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/259490 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
ADB Economics Working Paper Series No. 652
Publisher: 
Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila
Abstract: 
The lack of suitable data is a key challenge in ex-post policy evaluations. This paper proposes a novel data to measure local economic activities using vehicle counts in each 500 meter (m) x 500 m tile. The metric is derived from high resolution satellite images using a machine learning algorithm. Using the opening of the new international airport terminal in Cebu, Philippines, as a quasi-experiment, we estimate the impact of the new infrastructure on the local economy of Metro Cebu. Results of the difference-in-differences analysis show that the new terminal significantly increased vehicle traffic in urban Cebu. The effect decays with distance from the airport, is stronger in areas where hotels are located, and is most pronounced in the peak months for international tourists. These findings imply that the opening of the new international terminal has enhanced Cebu's local economy through international tourism.
Subjects: 
transportation infrastructure
satellite imagery data
JEL: 
R11
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.