Working Paper: NBER ID: w22659
Authors: Ran Abramitzky; Leah Platt Boustan; Katherine Eriksson
Abstract: We compile large datasets from Norwegian and US historical censuses to study return migration during the Age of Mass Migration (1850-1913). Return migrants were somewhat negatively selected from the migrant pool: Norwegian immigrants who returned to Norway held slightly lower-paid occupations than Norwegian immigrants who stayed in the US, both before and after moving to the US. Upon returning to Norway, return migrants held higher-paid occupations than Norwegians who never moved, despite hailing from poorer backgrounds. They were also more likely to get married after return. These patterns suggest that despite being negatively selected, return migrants were able to accumulate savings and improve their economic circumstances once they returned home.
Keywords: return migration; mass migration; economic outcomes; Norwegian immigrants
JEL Codes: J61; N31
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Return migrants (F24) | Lower-skilled occupations in the US (J69) |
| Return migrants (F24) | Higher-paid occupations in Norway (J44) |
| Economic status before migration (R23) | Negative selection of return migrants (F22) |
| Lower-skilled occupations in the US (J69) | Economic incentives to return home (F24) |
| Accumulated savings during migration (D14) | Upward economic mobility upon return (J62) |
| Return migrants (F24) | Shift in social status and economic stability (P27) |