RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Guest Worker Programs and Human Capital Investment
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 570
OP 599
DO 10.3368/jhr.56.2.0616-8015R2
VO 56
IS 2
A1 Kosack, Edward
YR 2021
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/56/2/570.abstract
AB Guest worker programs are often criticized for worker maltreatment. Income earned could, however, benefit migrants. I examine the impact of the Bracero Program, a guest worker program between Mexico and the United States in the mid-20th century, on human capital investments. I use proximity to recruitment centers as an instrument for migration. The opening and closing of centers, due to changes in international bargaining power, provides exogenous variation. Estimates show that bracero migration caused increases in primary school enrollments, the provision of primary schools, and spending on education by state governments.