Natural Resource Windfalls In Nonproducing Areas

Abstract

We study the impact of natural resource royalties on educational outcomes in Colombia. We analyze a reform enacted in 2012 that made the distribution of these royalties more equitable. Before the reform, most royalties were assigned to the regions where the natural resources were exploited; with the reform non-producing regions started to receive royalties. We estimate the impact of the reform on regions that most benefited from it, using the international price of oil as an instrument in a difference-in-differences framework. We found positive impacts on enrollment in primary, secondary, and high schools, but no conclusive evidence on academic achievement at any of these levels.

El sector extractivo como palanca para la transformación productiva

“…Zambrano et al (2022) encontraron que en Venezuela los residentes de municipios que se benefician de los recursos naturales tienden a obtener una mayor educación formal y a tener una mayor probabilidad de acceder a estudios superiores, lo cual tiene un impacto positivo en la reducción de la pobreza en términos de ingresos. Por otro lado, en Colombia, se observan efectos positivos en la matrícula en escuelas primarias y secundarias al examinar el impacto de las regalías a partir de la reforma de 2012 (Ome y Pérez, 2022).…”