讲座简介: | Leveraging the policy shock of China's 1988 Salt Regie System (SRS) which aims to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), this paper first provides causal evidence and mechanisms of endemic disease eradication on migration. Based on a county-level IDD dataset and population census, we show the SRS increased inter-county migration by 0.51% for rural residents, equating to at least 1.64 million additional migrants. Health and education improvements could explain this effect, which is more pronounced for poor households and salt-scarce areas. Moreover, SRS generated about $127 billion in welfare from migration. |