Observational equivalence in the modeling of African labor markets and urbanization

This article examines the appropriateness of neoclassical and rent-seeking models of urbanization for the African milieu and demonstrates that the reduced forms of these two models may be quite similar. The models are not observationally equivalent, however, and methods of distinguishing between them are discussed. A demographic cohort shift model of African urbanization also is presented. Its excellent predictive power suggests that migration models that assume migrant homogeneity (i.e., highly aggregate migration models) ignore information that can be useful in predicting trends in migration flows. © 1993.

Duke Scholars

Author Charles Maxwell Becker Economics