Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/55330 
Year of Publication: 
2012
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 3730
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
In this paper we show that the double Pareto lognormal (DPLN) parameterization provides an excellent fit to the overall US city size distribution, regardless of whether cities are administratively defined Census places or economically defined area clusters. We then consider an economic model that combines scale-independent urban growth (Gibrat's law) with endogenous city creation. City sizes converge to a DPLN distribution in this model, which is much better in line with the data than previous urban growth frameworks that predict a lognormal or a Pareto city size distribution (Zipf's law).
Subjects: 
Zipf's law
Gibrat's law
city size distributions
double Pareto-Lognormal
JEL: 
R11
R12
O40
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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