Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP1920
Authors: Ralph Rotte; Michael Vogler
Abstract: By means of a descriptive survey of theoretical literature we first work out the potential determinants that may drive international migration from developing to developed countries. In addition, we look at the relationship between trade, development and migration. Empirical studies focusing on international migration from Less Developed Countries (LDCs) are, so far, very scarce. In this paper, we utilize a new dataset that is based on migration to Germany from 86 African and Asian countries. Information is available on overall moves (1981?95) and asylum migration (1984?95). The estimation results confirm the importance of the economic differential between countries for migration; the existence of an inverse u-shaped relationship between development and migration; the importance of the political situation in the sending countries; and the significance of network effects.
Keywords: migration; international migration; developing countries
JEL Codes: F22
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| economic differentials (D30) | migration decisions (F22) |
| development (O39) | migration (F22) |
| migration (F22) | development (O39) |
| political situation in sending countries (F24) | migration patterns (F22) |
| political terror (P26) | asylum migration (F22) |
| network effects (D85) | migration (F22) |
| trade relations (F10) | asylum migration (F22) |