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The Gendered Impact of Rural Road Improvement on Schooling Decisions and Youth Employment in Morocco

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  • Yasuharu Shimamura
  • Satoshi Shimizutani
  • Eiji Yamada
  • Hiroyuki Yamada

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of a rural road improvement project on schooling decisions and youth employment in Morocco. Paved rural roads are expected to reduce travel time and costs, allowing additional school choices and increasing the motivation for youth to enter higher education. On the other hand, immediate earning opportunities created by new connections may encourage youth to seek paid employment. Thus, the impact of rural road improvement on schooling and youth employment warrants empirical investigation. We employ a difference-in-differences estimation using a household-level dataset collected under a quasi-experimental setting. First, we do not observe any positive effect on primary school completion for either sex, but we find a positive and significant effect on secondary school attainment or above for females. Moreover, the higher educational attainment of females is associated with a lower proportion of early marriage. Second, we do not observe any significant effects on self-employment for either sex, but we find a positive and significant effect on wage employment for males, which is pronounced among the better educated. Our findings reveal sharp gendered differences in the impact of the rural road improvement project, with increased motivation towards better education for females and paid work for males.

Suggested Citation

  • Yasuharu Shimamura & Satoshi Shimizutani & Eiji Yamada & Hiroyuki Yamada, 2023. "The Gendered Impact of Rural Road Improvement on Schooling Decisions and Youth Employment in Morocco," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(3), pages 413-429, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:59:y:2023:i:3:p:413-429
    DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2022.2139608
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Anjali Adukia & Sam Asher & Paul Novosad, 2020. "Educational Investment Responses to Economic Opportunity: Evidence from Indian Road Construction," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(1), pages 348-376, January.
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    6. Khandker, Shahidur R. & Koolwal, Gayatri B., 2011. "Estimating the long-term impacts of rural roads : a dynamic panel approach," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5867, The World Bank.
    7. Aggarwal, Shilpa, 2018. "Do rural roads create pathways out of poverty? Evidence from India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 375-395.
    8. Yamauchi, Futoshi & Muto, Megumi & Chowdhury, Shyamal & Dewina, Reno & Sumaryanto, Sony, 2011. "Are Schooling and Roads Complementary? Evidence from Income Dynamics in Rural Indonesia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 2232-2244.
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    1. Yasuharu Shimamura & Satoshi Shimizutani & Eiji Yamada & Hiroyuki Yamada, 2023. "On the inclusiveness of rural road improvement: Evidence from Morocco," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 1721-1745, August.
    2. Anti, Sebastian & Zhang, Zhihui, 2023. "Roads, women’s employment, and gender equity: Evidence from Cambodia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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