Public inputs, urban development, and welfare in a developing economy

This chapter examines the impact of urban development through the government provision of public inputs in a developing economy. When a financing constraint is taken into account, an increase in public inputs may worsen urban unemployment and hence reduce welfare of the economy. Further, the optimal level of public-input provision is larger (smaller) than that under full employment, if there exits a positive (negative) employment effect. The theoretical results are confirmed by numerical simulations.