Seminario | Ethnic Diversity and Labour Market Outcomes: Evidence from Post-apartheid South Africa

Seminario Online

15.01.2021

Venerdì 15 gennaio 2021 alle ore 14.30, nell'ambito delle iniziative del Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Local Development, Sara Tonini (Universidad de Alicante), terrà un seminario online dal titolo "Ethnic Diversity and Labour Market Outcomes: Evidence from Post-apartheid South Africa", basato sugli studi condotti insieme a Peng Zhang (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver).

Entra nella riunione in Zoom
https://unipd.zoom.us/j/89943671119?pwd=QzIyZlBuNG9udTFnZ1pSNE5PUEVTdz09

ID riunione: 899 4367 1119
Passcode: 325300

 


Using 1996 and 2001 South African census data, this paper investigates how the ethnic diversity amongst the black population affects labour market outcomes. To address endogeneity concerns, we employ an original instrumental variable approach, which relies on the historical spatial distribution of the ethnic-specific homelands. In particular, we exploit the fact that a district which is equidistant to all the different homelands is more likely to be ethnically heterogenous than a district which is close to the homeland of a specific group and distant from the others.

We find that ethnic diversity significantly increases the employment rate of black South Africans and that this effect is driven by an increase in high-skill employment. To explain this result, we propose a model based on human capital and network theories. In more homogenous districts, where individuals can rely on larger networks to get a low skill job, they tend to invest less in education. The opposite occurs in more diverse districts where the absence of large networks incentivise individuals to get higher education in order to find an occupation. Consistent with the model predictions, our empirical evidence confirms the role of education as a key mechanism in shaping the labor market effects of ethnic diversity.