Three Essays on the Distribution of Economic Development through Historical Events

My thesis consists of three self-contained chapters exploring how historical events shape both the short- and long-term distribution of economic development. Utilising three separate historical natural experiments, this thesis answers three research questions on the role of the colonial rail network, the upgrading of the existing rail system, as well as the influx of colonial settlement in impacting the distribution of economic development. Therefore, my thesis emphasises the importance of historical events, which could potentially determine the future economic fortune of a particular region or country.