TD n. 640 2015
Rudi Rocha, Claudio Ferraz, Rodrigo Reis Soares.
This paper examines the role of human capital persistence in explaining long-term
development. We exploit variation induced by a state-sponsored settlement policy
that attracted a pool of immigrants with higher levels of schooling to particular regions
of Brazil in the late 19th and early 20th century. We show that municipalities that
received settlements experienced increases in schooling that persisted over time. One
century after the policy, localities that received state-sponsored settlements had higher
levels of schooling and income per capita. We provide evidence that long-run effects
were driven by persistently higher supply and use of educational inputs and shifts in
the structure of occupations towards skill-intensive sectors