Can migration reduce educational attainment? Evidence from Mexico

David McKenzie, Hillel Rapoport

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

269 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of migration on educational attainment in rural Mexico. Using historical migration rates to instrument for current migration, we find evidence of a significant negative effect of migration on schooling attendance and attainment. IV-censored ordered probits show that living in a migrant household lowers the chances of boys completing junior high school and of boys and girls completing high school. We find that the observed decrease in schooling of 16- to 18-year-olds is accounted for by current migration of boys and increased housework for girls.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1331-1358
Number of pages28
JournalJournal of Population Economics
Volume24
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2011

Keywords

  • Educational attainments
  • Mexico
  • Migration

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