Diasporas
Migration flows are shaped by a complex combination of self-selection and out-selection mechanisms. In this paper, the authors analyze how existing diasporas (the stock of people born in a country and living in another one) affect the size and huma...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20090701160446 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4176 |
| Summary: | Migration flows are shaped by a complex
combination of self-selection and out-selection mechanisms.
In this paper, the authors analyze how existing diasporas
(the stock of people born in a country and living in another
one) affect the size and human-capital structure of current
migration flows. The analysis exploits a bilateral data set
on international migration by educational attainment from
195 countries to 30 developed countries in 1990 and 2000.
Based on simple micro-foundations and controlling for
various determinants of migration, the analysis finds that
diasporas increase migration flows, lower the average
educational level and lead to higher concentration of
low-skill migrants. Interestingly, diasporas explain the
majority of the variability of migration flows and
selection. This suggests that, without changing the
generosity of family reunion programs, education-based
selection rules are likely to have a moderate impact. The
results are highly robust to the econometric techniques,
accounting for the large proportion of zeros and endogeneity problems. |
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