Chinese Aid and Local Employment in Africa

讲座内容简介：   

This paper exploits spatial and temporal variations in Chinese projects and household surveys in 10 African countries over 15 years to identify the change in individual employment after the arrival of Chinese projects , based on a difference-in-differences type of estimation. We find that the impact is mostly short-term during project constructions. Local employment is increased significantly by two to three percentage points mostly within the first two years after Chinese projects start. Chinese aid has created job opportunities for local residents both directly and indirectly through relevant sectors, as more employment is observed for manual labor and the service sector. More year-round and cash-earning jobs are created. The different types of infrastructures all increase short-term employment significantly, while the construction of schools, hospitals, and water and power facilities benefits local employment greatly also in the longer term. We address the potential confounds from other developmental resources in various ways.

讲座嘉宾简介：     

郭士祺，上海交通大学安泰经济与管理学院助理教授。研究领域：发展经济学，行为经济学，政治经济学。文章发表在American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Games and Economic Behavior, Journal of Comparative Economics, Journal of Development Economics, 《经济研究》（消费金融专辑）。