Events at CERGE-EI
Monday, 10 March, 2025 | 14:00 | Room 402 | Applied Micro Research Seminar
Pedro Vicente (NOVA University Lisbon) "On the Political Economy of Urbanization: Experimental Evidence from Mozambique"
NOVA University Lisbon, Portugal
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Meeting number: 2742 247 7912
Meeting password: 314785
Authors: Alex Armand, Frederica Mendonça, Wayne Aaron Sandholtz, Pedro C. Vicente
Abstract: Urbanization is a force for structural change. However, it has been slow in Sub-Saharan Africa, possibly due to conflicting political interests of national incumbents. We study the political impacts of a randomized program integrating rural migrants in a Mozambican city with the participation of local leaders. We find that the program increases the mobilization of local leaders, who conduct more electoral campaigning. We observe migrants to be more politically active and more supportive of the city incumbent (national opposition). Migrants’ contacts at the origin align with the national opposition and migrate to the city. We conclude that urbanization is political.
Keywords: political economy, urbanization, rural migrants, migrant integration, political behavior,
Mozambique, Africa.
JEL Codes: D72, O18, J61, O12, 055.
Full Text: On the Political Economy of Urbanization: Experimental Evidence from Mozambique
