Publication
On the political economy of urbanization: experimental evidence from Mozambique
| Summary: | Urbanization is a force for economic structural change and is underway in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the slow pace of these transformations in some countries likely results from contrary political interests at the central level. We study the political impacts of a randomized program integrating rural migrants in Mozambique, sponsored by a city government. In the program, local leaders had an active role in the face-to-face coaching of migrants. When looking at behaviors around the municipal elections of 2023, we find that the program increased the political mobilization of local leaders whom we observe conducting more electoral campaigning. Migrants turn out to the election more often, measured by recording inked fingers, and are observed to use more political objects, despite the limited labor market impacts of the integration program. We conclude that helping urbanization can be in the political interest of local governments. |
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| Main Authors: | Armand, Alex |
| Other Authors: | Mendonça, Frederica; Sandholtz, Wayne Aaron; Vicente, Pedro C. |
| Subject: | Political economy Urbanization Rural migrants Migrant integration Political behavior Mozambique Africa |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Country: | Portugal |
| Document type: | working paper |
| Access type: | open access |
| Associated institution: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Language: | English |
| Origin: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Summary: | Urbanization is a force for economic structural change and is underway in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the slow pace of these transformations in some countries likely results from contrary political interests at the central level. We study the political impacts of a randomized program integrating rural migrants in Mozambique, sponsored by a city government. In the program, local leaders had an active role in the face-to-face coaching of migrants. When looking at behaviors around the municipal elections of 2023, we find that the program increased the political mobilization of local leaders whom we observe conducting more electoral campaigning. Migrants turn out to the election more often, measured by recording inked fingers, and are observed to use more political objects, despite the limited labor market impacts of the integration program. We conclude that helping urbanization can be in the political interest of local governments. |
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