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

Author

Listed:
  • Yasuharu Shimamura

    (Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University)

  • Satoshi Shimizutani

    (JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development)

  • Eiji Yamada

    (JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development)

  • Hiroyuki Yamada

    (Faculty of Economics, Keio University)

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 in response to higher returns. On the other hand, immediate earnings 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-indifferences estimation using a household-level dataset with a five-year interval 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 only 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 only 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 toward better education for females and paid work for males.

Suggested Citation

  • Yasuharu Shimamura & Satoshi Shimizutani & Eiji Yamada & Hiroyuki Yamada, 2022. "The Gendered Impact of Rural Road Improvement on Schooling Decisions and Youth Employment in Morocco," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series 2022-001, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    • Handle: RePEc:keo:dpaper:2022-001
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    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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    3. Shahidur R. Khandker & Zaid Bakht & Gayatri B. Koolwal, 2009. "The Poverty Impact of Rural Roads: Evidence from Bangladesh," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 57(4), pages 685-722, July.
    4. Gauri Kartini Shastry, 2012. "Human Capital Response to Globalization: Education and Information Technology in India," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 47(2), pages 287-330.
    5. Nguyen Viet Cuong, 2011. "Estimation of the impact of rural roads on household welfare in Viet Nam," Asia-Pacific Development Journal, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), vol. 18(2), pages 105-135, December.
    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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    Cited by:

    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

    Keywords

    rural road improvement; schooling outcomes; youth employment; market integration; Morocco; gender.;
    All these keywords.

    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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