Similar to the relation between the inflows of immigrants and educational outcomes that
are found in immigration studies, the spatial distribution of internal migrants within a given
country also may influence educational outcomes, at least in the short run. This could be
particularly true in Turkey, where inter-provincial mobility is high and where striking differences
in educational resources and therefore educational success across regions persist.
Using the 1990 and 2000 Turkish Censuses, this study exploits variations over time in the
inflow of internal migrants across provinces to identify the causal effect of internal migration
on natives’ educational outcomes. The evidence suggests that the inflow of migrants
lowers natives’ completion rates for middle school and high school. Evidence also indicates
that while the negative effects appear to be greater among native children from low-SES
households, native high-SES households are able to mitigate these adverse effects for their
children. Furthermore, the estimated effects exhibit some differences by children’s gender
and migrant status.