Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/323485 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Citation: 
[Journal:] Journal of Development Economics [ISSN:] 1872-6089 [Volume:] 176 [Article No.:] 103482 [Publisher:] Elsevier [Place:] Amsterdam [Year:] 2025 [Pages:] 1-18
Publisher: 
Elsevier, Amsterdam
Abstract: 
This paper provides novel evidence on the impact of a prominent place-based policy – Special Economic Zones (SEZs) – on the economic well-being of African households. Exploiting time variation in SEZ establishment on a dataset of repeated cross-sections of households in 10 African countries during 1990-2020, we show that households living near SEZs become wealthier relative to the national average after SEZ establishment. The effect accrues mostly within 10 km of SEZs, is not driven by selective migration, and is accompanied by improved access to household utilities, higher consumption of durable goods, increased educational attainment and a shift away from agricultural activities.
Subjects: 
Special economic zone
Place-based policy
Household wealth
Africa
JEL: 
F6
F21
O15
O25
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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