Economic geography and human capital accumulation in Turkey: evidence from micro-data

Abstract

This study examines the impact of market access on human capital accumulation in Turkey. Using individual-level data, the analysis explores the background of human capital accumulation, combining market accessibility, wages and human capital development. Upon the treatment of wages as an endogenous covariate of interest and overtime work as an exogenous source of variation, we find evidence that the impact of market access on human capital development vanishes in ways not predicted by the augmented New Economic Geography set-up for human capital accumulation. Findings confirm that economic policies may be effective in reducing regional variation in human capital endowments.