The power of geographical boundaries: Cultural, political, and economic border effects in a unitary nation

Abstract

<p>Geography plays a significant, fundamental role in shaping outcomes in human societies. Among other geographical elements, borders have significant implications—they are not only geographical figures, but also political creatures. Against previous theories that have studied border effects along with institutional differences mostly about economic implications, this thesis considers how sub-national borders with weak jurisdictions affect cultural, political, and economic phenomena using data from South Korea. Unlike international borders and intra-national borders in a federal state, this thesis suggests borders in a unitary nation have less economic effects, but more cultural and political effects.</p>