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Bright Lights, Big Cities: Measuring National and Subnational Economic Growth in Africa from Outer Space, with an Application to Kenya and Rwanda

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dc.contributor.authorBundervoet, Tom
dc.contributor.authorMaiyo, Laban
dc.contributor.authorSanghi, Apurva
dc.date.accessioned2015-11-05T19:42:13Z
dc.date.available2015-11-05T19:42:13Z
dc.date.issued2015-10
dc.description.abstractThis paper uses the night lights (satellite imagery from outer space) approach to estimate growth in and levels of subnational 2013 gross domestic product for 47 counties in Kenya and 30 districts in Rwanda. Estimating subnational gross domestic product is consequential for three reasons. First, there is strong policy interest in how growth can occur in different parts of countries, so that communities can share in national prosperity and not get left behind. Second, subnational entities want to understand how they stack up against their neighbors and competitors, and how much they contribute to national gross domestic product. Third, such information could help private investors to assess where to undertake investments. Using night lights has the advantage of seeing a new and more accurate estimation of informal activity, and being independent of official data. However, the approach may underestimate economic activity in sectors that are largely unlit notably agriculture. For Kenya, the results of the analysis affirm that Nairobi County is the largest contributor to national gross domestic product. However, at 13 percent, this contribution is lower than commonly thought. For Rwanda, the three districts of Kigali account for 40 percent of national gross domestic product, underscoring the lower scale of economic activity in the rest of the country. To get a composite picture of subnational economic activity, especially in the context of rapidly improving official statistics in Kenya and Rwanda, it is important to estimate subnational gross domestic product using standard approaches (production, expenditure, income).en
dc.identifierhttps://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/912151468188369841
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-7461
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/22883
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherWorld Bank, Washington, DC
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPolicy Research Working Paper;No. 7461
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectEXPENDITURE
dc.subjectGROWTH RATES
dc.subjectSUB-NATIONAL
dc.subjectCONSUMPTION
dc.subjectREVENUE SHARING
dc.subjectPOVERTY LINE
dc.subjectDISECONOMIES OF SCALE
dc.subjectEQUAL SHARES
dc.subjectECONOMIC GROWTH
dc.subjectNATIONAL ACCOUNTS
dc.subjectESTIMATION METHOD
dc.subjectCITY
dc.subjectPOVERTY LEVELS
dc.subjectCOEFFICIENTS
dc.subjectFINANCIAL CRISIS
dc.subjectINCOME
dc.subjectVALUE
dc.subjectDEPENDENT VARIABLE
dc.subjectREVENUE ALLOCATION
dc.subjectNATIONAL POVERTY LINE
dc.subjectANNUAL GROWTH RATE
dc.subjectECONOMIC DECLINE
dc.subjectMACROECONOMICS
dc.subjectREAL GDP
dc.subjectDISTRICT ADMINISTRATIONS
dc.subjectGDP PER CAPITA
dc.subjectRESOURCE ALLOCATION
dc.subjectELASTICITY
dc.subjectURBAN AREAS
dc.subjectDISTRIBUTION OF INCOME
dc.subjectAGRICULTURAL SECTOR
dc.subjectAGRICULTURE
dc.subjectINCENTIVES
dc.subjectDISTRICT- LEVEL
dc.subjectSUBNATIONAL UNITS
dc.subjectSUBNATIONAL UNIT
dc.subjectPROVINCES
dc.subjectANNUAL GROWTH
dc.subjectTAX
dc.subjectINPUTS
dc.subjectCITIES
dc.subjectWEALTH
dc.subjectSURVEYS
dc.subjectECONOMICS
dc.subjectAGRICULTURAL OUTPUT
dc.subjectFIXED EFFECTS
dc.subjectSUBNATIONAL
dc.subjectECONOMIC ACTIVITY
dc.subjectSUB- NATIONAL
dc.subjectPRO-POOR
dc.subjectGDP
dc.subjectLONG-TERM GROWTH
dc.subjectGROWTH RATE
dc.subjectINFORMAL ECONOMY
dc.subjectFISCAL MANAGEMENT
dc.subjectPOVERTY
dc.subjectSUBNATIONAL GOVERNMENTS
dc.subjectREVENUE-RAISING CAPACITY
dc.subjectECONOMIC DOWNTURNS
dc.subjectDISTRICT
dc.subjectINCIDENCE OF POVERTY
dc.subjectREVENUE
dc.subjectAGRICULTURAL PERFORMANCE
dc.subjectCRITERIA
dc.subjectPOLICY RESEARCH
dc.subjectUNDERESTIMATES
dc.subjectPOOR
dc.subjectTAX BASE
dc.subjectDISTRICT-LEVEL
dc.subjectHOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
dc.subjectINDICATORS
dc.subjectEMPIRICAL MODEL
dc.subjectDISTRICT LEVEL
dc.subjectGROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT
dc.subjectREVENUE SHARING FORMULA
dc.subjectDEVELOPMENT INDICATORS
dc.subjectDISTRICTS
dc.subjectEXPENDITURE NEEDS
dc.subjectECONOMIC CONDITIONS
dc.subjectSUBNATIONAL ENTITIES
dc.subjectDEVELOPMENT POLICY
dc.subjectGROWTH
dc.titleBright Lights, Big Citiesen
dc.title.subtitleMeasuring National and Subnational Economic Growth in Africa from Outer Space, with an Application to Kenya and Rwandaen
dc.typeWorking Paperen
dc.typeDocument de travailfr
dc.typeDocumento de trabajoes
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.crossref.titleBright Lights, Big Cities: Measuring National and Subnational Economic Growth in Africa from Outer Space, with an Application to Kenya and Rwanda
okr.date.disclosure2015-10-28
okr.date.doiregistration2025-04-10T07:23:11.681019Z
okr.date.doiregistration2025-07-31T02:17:28.136817Z
okr.doctypePublications & Research::Policy Research Working Paper
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.docurlhttps://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/912151468188369841
okr.guid912151468188369841
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-7461
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum090224b08317725e_1_0
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum25221167
okr.identifier.reportWPS7461
okr.importedtrue
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/912151468188369841/pdf/WPS7461.pdfen
okr.region.administrativeAfrica
okr.region.countryKenya
okr.region.countryRwanda
okr.topicSubnational Economic Development
okr.topicMacroeconomics and Economic Growth
okr.topicMacroeconomics and Economic Growth::Economic Theory & Research
okr.topicUrban Development
okr.unitKenya and Rwanda Country Management Unit; Macroeconomics and Fiscal Management Global Practice Group; and Poverty Global Practice Group
relation.isSeriesOfPublication26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
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