Railways, Development, and Literacy in India
Abstract
We study the effect of railroads, the single largest public investment in colonial India, on human
capital. Using district-level data on literacy and two different identification strategies, we find
railroads had positive effects on literacy, in particular on male and English literacy. We show
that railroads increased literacy by raising secondary and elite primary, rather than vernacular
primary schooling. Our mediation analysis suggests that non-agricultural income, urbanisation,
and opportunities for skilled employment are important mechanisms, while agricultural income
is not.
Description
The article of record as published may be found at http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/173159
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.Collections
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