Abstract
Around the world, city dwellers appear to differ from rural populations in their moral values. They are often more likely to embrace individualism over collectivism, and universalism over parochialism. However, past work on the urban-rural gap in moral values cannot easily distinguish selection from causal effects of cities. This project seeks to provide causal evidence about the impacts of access to cities in rural Africa on individuals' preferences and values. We study the randomized rollout of a program promoting urban access in rural villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Implemented by a local NGO called Congo Helping Hands (CHH), this `City Access Program' (CAP) provides regular weekly transportation by motorbike taxi to the city of Kananga to individuals living in rural villages surrounding the city. Our project studies the effects of CHH's programs on individuals' preferences and values.