Working Papers:
"Destroy and Build? Economic Effects of Centres de Regroupement in the Algerian War, " Job Market Paper
Abstract:
Urbanization is generally accompanied by development. However, whether abrupt unintended urbanization can stimulate future progress is an open question. During the Algerian independence war, the French government constructed thousands of Centres de Regroupement (resettlement centers), to which the French army forcefully relocated around 2.5 million civilians. The policy destroyed the previous agricultural life of the impacted while, at the same time, concentrating them within prison-like semi-urban centers. Using the heterogeneity in treatment across regions, Difference-in-Difference estimates show that the policy has a persistent negative impact on the population but a continuing positive impact on urbanization. To address the endogeneity, I use the facts that i) the army implemented the policy out of purely military concerns and ii) the whole process lacked coherent planning from the authority where the low-level officers designed it locally for temporary necessities. The findings provide novel insights into the long-run economic impacts of unintended urbanization.
Abstract:
How does forced displacement affect the well-being of the victims upon their return? Using individual-level data from Kyrgyzstan spanning 2006 to 2019, we examine the welfare impact of the 2010 short-term ethnic conflict. We find that week-long displacement results in significant loss of well-being among the targeted ethnic group, but only when they lack support networks during the displacement. Our analysis isolates the effect of displacement from that of experiencing conflict and ethnic discrimination and is robust to selection bias. The most pronounced negative effects concern satisfaction with dwelling, health, security, and future prospects. The quality of life for displaced individuals eventually converges to that of the non-displaced, but full recovery takes years.
Selected Works in Progress:
"Colonialism and cultural conservativism,"