The Socioeconomic Outcomes of Native Groups in Argentina

This study uses individual-level census data from Argentina to examine the socioeconomic disparities between Native and non-Native people. Native people fare worse across a variety of indicators, including housing, education, employment, and health. On average, the observed disparities amount to 12 percent of the standard deviation and persist even after controlling for factors such as geographic location. Furthermore, there are differences in the intergenerational transmission of education between Natives and non-Natives: for each level of education of the parents, the children of Natives have, on average, fewer years of education than the children of non-Natives. Finally, the study also reveals large differences between Native groups: while some achieve average outcomes that surpass those of the non-Native population, others significantly lag behind. Notably, these differences are correlated with a characteristic of their pre-Columbian economy: the practice of agriculture.