Political Economy Workshop (Gov 3007)

Date: 

Monday, November 2, 2015, 12:00pm to 2:00pm

Location: 

CGIS Knafel K354
Oyebola Okunogbe will present her job market paper "Intergroup Migration and National Integration in a Multi-Ethnic State: Evidence from Nigeria”. Abstract for "Intergroup Migration and National Integration in a Multi-Ethnic State: Evidence from Nigeria" Given the severe costs of ethnic divisions, promoting national integration is a pressing concern in diverse countries. In this paper, I examine the impact of exposure to a different ethnic region on individuals’ future migration choices, national identity, and inter-ethnic relationships. For exogenous variation in migration exposure, I exploit randomized postings of Nigerian university graduates to different states of the country for a mandatory year of non-military service. Using a survey I administer to a cohort of university alumni, I find persistent effects seven years later. Participants who migrated outside their ethnic region during the program are four times as likely as those who remained to be living in other regions of the country. This effect is associated with both being more knowledgeable about other states, greater national pride and being more open to live across ethnic boundaries. At the same time, consistent with social identity theory, being immersed in a different group during the program increases participants’ sense of ethnic pride and has, if anything, a negative effect on interethnic attitudes and friendships. Together, the results suggest that intergroup exposure can increase familiarity and confidence for engaging with unfamiliar regions without necessarily improving social affinity among groups. https://www.dropbox.com/s/p219q59nzia4dfh/IntergroupMigrationOyebolaOkun...