Urbanization and educational attainment: Evidence from Africa
利用14个非洲国家的人口普查数据，研究发现童年期接触城市环境能显著提高小学完成率和识字率，即使对城市贫困家庭的孩子也是如此，学校可及性提高和机会成本降低是主要机制。
Despite the rapid urbanization of the developing world, little remains known about how urban migration and residency affect childhood outcomes. Using census data for 14 African countries combined with an age-at-move design, I show that childhood exposure to cities significantly increases primary school completion and literacy rates, even among children from poor urban households. Better availability of schools and lower opportunity costs of education in cities appear to be important channels to explain the positive effects. The paper thus provides evidence of a novel channel through which urban migration can promote economic development.