Teferi Mergo
tmergo@econ.berkeley.edu
http://works.bepress.com/teferi_mergo
University of California, Berkeley
Placement Director: David Card
Graduate Administrator: Patrick G. Allen
card@econ.berkeley.edu
place@econ.berkeley.edu
510-642-5222
510-642-0824
Contact Information Department of Economics 530 Evans Hall, # 3880 Berkeley, CA 94720‐3880 510‐684‐0228 Education: B.A., Economics, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, 1995 M.A., Middle Tennessee State University, TN, 1998 AEA (Advanced Program), Duke University, NC, 2004 Dissertation Title: “Essays in Economics of Emigration” Expected Completion Date: June, 2012 References: Ronald D. Lee David Card University of California, Berkeley University of California, Berkeley 510‐642‐4535 510‐642‐5222 card@econ.berkeley.edu rlee@demog.berkeley.edu Alain de Janvry University of California, Berkeley 510‐642‐3348 alain@berkeley.edu Teaching and Research Fields: Primary: Development Economics, Economics of Emigration, Applied microeconomics; Secondary: International Economics and Economic Demography Teaching Experience: Spring 2011: Intermediate Macroeconomics (undergraduate), UC Berkeley Spring 2011: Econ 175, Economic Demography (undergraduate), Reader, UC Berkeley Summer 2009: Macroeconomics – DSGE (AEA, Advanced Program), UC Santa Barbara Summer 2008: Macroeconomics – DSGE (AEA, Advanced Program), UC Santa Barbara Spring 2008: Soc. 271B, Statistics (Graduate), UC Berkeley Fall 2007: Soc. 271C, Regression Analysis (Graduate), UC Berkeley Summer 2007: Introduction to Economics (Undergraduate), Instructor, Chabot College Research Experience and Other Employment: Spring 2006 Research Assistant to Professor Edward Miguel 2004‐2005 Research Internship, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston 1999‐2004 Utility Rate Analyst, Tennessee Regulatory Authority 1995‐1996 Research Officer, Awash International Bank, S.C., Ethiopia Fellowships and Awards 2010 2010‐ 2011 2010 2005‐ 2006 2005‐ 2006 2004 National Science Foundation Research Grant, UC Berkeley Demography Research Grant, UC Berkeley (Twice) Institute of Business and Economic Research & Center of Evaluation for Global Action, Dissertation Research Award, UC Berkeley Departmental Fellowship, Department of Economics, UC Berkeley NSF Graduate Opportunity Fellowship American Economic Association Scholarship, Duke University Citizenship: USA (Naturalized) Research Papers: “The Effects of Emigration on Source Households: Evidence from DV Lottery Migration” (Job Market Paper) More than a million people have migrated to the US by winning a randomly assigned migration lottery known as DV, instituted in 1994 by Congressional Act with a stated goal of diversifying the US population. The lottery provides a rare opportunity to consistently estimate migration’s effects. Using a household survey of Ethiopian DV applicants, I explore how emigration of younger adults affects their non‐migrant family members. The study finds that migration has significant positive effects on the welfare of source families in a number of ways. Because of emigration, the typical migrant‐sending family can afford to spend about 29% more on food, is thus better fed and has higher anthropomorphic measures. The BMI gain (0.27 per person) for DV winners would have likely been higher, if winning the lottery had not affected family size; DV winners’ family size increases on average by 0.65 persons, as a result of relatives moving in and the families being able to afford housekeepers. Successfully treated families also own more and better quality consumer durables, in addition to gaining better access to improved sources of drinking water and sanitation facilities. Migration has, however, had no measurable direct effect on savings and physical capital accumulation in source countries. Most of the positive effects of emigration thus appear to be on the consumption side of the family budget. The treatment effects are lower, the shorter the time DV migrants have had to adjust to living and working conditions in the US. The study also finds that Ethiopian DV migrants are selected positively, as expected. “The Human Capital Impacts of Emigration on Sending Families: Evidence from DV Migration” (Working Paper)