Régina Séri

Impact of mineral discoveries and productions on educational Intergenerational Mobility in Africa

with Jean-Marc B. Atsebi and Rasmane Ouedraogo

Discussants: Mahamady Ouedraogo and Simone Bertoli

Abstract

We study the potential role of mineral discoveries and productions on educational intergenerational mobility for more than 14 million individuals across 28 African countries and 2,890 districts. We find that mineral discoveries and productions positively a_ect educational IM for primary education in Africa for individuals exposed to the mineral sites and living in districts with discoveries. Specifically, upward primary IM increases by 2.7 percent following mineral discoveries and 6.7 percent following mineral productions. Downward primary IM decreases by 1.2 percent following both mineral discoveries and productions. However, no significant effects are found for secondary and tertiary educational IM. We also unveil four transmission channels through which the positive effects of mineral discoveries and productions on educational primary IM operate, including the income effect proxied by parents working in the mining sector, the structural transformation of the local economy, the returns to education, and the provision of infrastructures.

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