UC San Diego

Success in the labor market is a key driver of social mobility, and the primary focus of this dissertation is to explore how to ensure young people possess the skills and conditions necessary to achieve such success.

In recent years, millions of children have been displaced, emphasizing the importance of evidence-informed public policy for migrants and recipient communities. Chapter 1 examines the sudden influx of Venezuelan migrant children into the Peruvian school system. Analyzing cross-grade within-school variation, I find that as Venezuelan migrants enter Peruvian schools, parents transfer their children to higher-quality schools with fewer migrants. While native flight may mitigate the effects of migrant influx for some students, it generally brings no gains and comes at a high cost.

Chapter 2 investigates the impact of a law in Bolivia that temporarily lowered the legal working age from 14 to 10 and introduced benefits and protections for child workers. Using a difference-in-discontinuity approach, I find a decrease in work for children under 14, particularly in areas with a higher threat of inspections. However, there is no evidence of improved work safety, suggesting reductions in visible child labor may be driven by avoiding legal and social sanctions rather than increased safety measures.

Chapter 3 analyzes young people's constraints as they transition into adulthood by studying programs to improve the employment prospects of underemployed Rwandan youth. I find that while cash transfers affect marriage and fertility differently for men and women, they do not significantly impact labor market outcomes differently. There are also no changes in the perception of gender roles. While financial constraints are a significant barrier for young people in Rwanda, addressing these alone does not alter deeply entrenched gender roles and cultural norms.