Human Capital, Internal Migration and Structural Transformation in Africa, with Jorge Agüero from UC by NOVAFRICA Sustainable Development Talks published on 2022-11-24T10:31:50Z Economic development requires the transformation of the spatial organization of a country. Yet, in Sub-Saharan Africa most of the population still resides in rural areas and works in agriculture limiting the structural transformation required for economic development. We shows that education helps achieve such a transformation by inducing geographical mobility. Using a fuzzy regression discontinuity design created by a school reform in Zimbabwe, we show that schooling increases internal migration, especially to larger cities and with bigger effects for those born in rural areas. Access to new labor market opportunities and reductions in fertility are important mechanisms.
