Social Sciences Department, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

International conference: Migration as a multi-sited phenomenon: migrant selection and the outcomes of migration

Carlos III University in Madrid, Getafe Campus  – April 25th-26th 2024

As migration and ethnic diversity become a fundamental part of our societies, there is a need to expand the perspectives and methodologies used to study this phenomenon. Migration is a multi-sited phenomenon, in which origin and destination(s) play a fundamental role. This conference brings together migration scholars working on both the drivers and outcomes of migration, who use a “multisite” perspective (broadly defined) in their research. The broad range of contributions, based on of both quantitative and qualitative methods, reveal how multiple comparisons can shed light on migration processes. The conference has received funding from GLAM: Global South Migration and Comparative Integration: A Study of South American Migrants (EU Horizon 2020, MSCA GA# 101023322) and from the London School of Economic and Political Science, and is jointly organized by Carolina V. Zuccotti (UC3M), Lucinda Platt (LSE), Jacobo Muñoz-Comet (UNED), Alessandro Ferrara (Freie University-WZB Berlin), and Florencia Caro Sachetti (UC3M). Preliminary program here.

Three studies on the economic development of Argentina. The role of inequality and institutions in human capital formation.

Thesis by Beatriz Álvarez, directed by Jordi Domènech

This thesis focuses on the study of Argentina's economic development from a historical perspective, analyzing the incidence of structural inequality in development, via its influence on the historical evolution of human capital. The argument of the thesis consists of a set of evidence that is structured in three central chapters. Chapter 2 investigates the influence of wealth inequality in primary education on the origins of the development of the national education system, finding a negative effect that diminishes with the centralization of budgets. Chapter 3 examines the impact of agricultural colonization on primary education in the province of Santa Fé in the late nineteenth century, finding improvements in educational outcomes. Chapter 4, co-written with Antonella Bonacina and Alejandro Danón, analyzes the long-term effects of inequality on local development, using instrumental variables and finding a negative effect of structural inequality on long-term development. Overall, the results suggest that structural inequality in Argentina could be part of the explanation for its poor economic development trajectory experienced since the 20th century, highlighting the role of human capital as a driving channel.