Sam Bazzi (BU) will present:

"Skill Transferability, Migration, and Development: Evidence from Population Resettlement in Indonesia"

at 3pm on Wednesday, October 28, 2015 in 310 Silsby

***THERE ARE STILL A FEW AVAILABLE SLOTS***

Please sign up for a meeting, lunch, or dinner at:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jjy36R4CDSMofSGou6U8mx-Vrhe2GmNSj1FVTlsXugg/edit?usp=sharing

Abstract

We use a natural experiment in Indonesia to provide causal evidence on the role of location-specific human capital in shaping the productivity effects of migration patterns. From 1979-1988, the Transmigration Program relocated two million migrants from rural Java and Bali to new rural settlements in the Outer Islands. Villages that were assigned migrants from regions with more similar agroclimatic endowments exhibit higher rice productivity and nighttime light intensity one to two decades later. We find some evidence of migrants' adaptation to agroclimatic change. Overall, however, our results suggest that regional productivity differences may overstate the potential gains from migration.