Uniting people from diverse cultures is a founding principle of many nation states. Throughout history, leaders have introduced policies to foster a national identity in which citizens remain connected by shared history and values, despite never meeting one another. However, rising geographic mobility and increasing diversity within states may complicate the process of creating a […]
Political boundaries can shape group identity and behavior in fundamental ways. Individuals who share an ethnic background may face incentives for conflict in one area of politics and incentives for cooperation in another. A vast social science literature takes boundaries as given and links diversity within boundaries to weak public goods provision, underdevelopment and conflict. […]
By Samuel Bazzi. Institutions and Political Economy, April 16, 2018.
Samuel Bazzi, Arya Gaduh, Alex Rothenberg, Maisy Wong VOX CEPR’s Policy Portal, January 7, 2018
Social assistance programs targeted at low-income groups cover nearly two billion people in developing countries. Identifying and reaching the intended beneficiaries of these programs can be challenging, especially where a large part of the population works in the informal sector and there are no official income registries. Traditionally, each program has its own method to […]
Throughout history, soil and climate conditions have shaped migration patterns and influenced the spread of human capital and technology. Previous studies suggest that similarity in agroclimatic conditions is important for the transferability of skills. However, there is limited evidence on these relationships because skill transferability is difficult to measure, migrants sort into places where their […]