Location of Adult Children as an Attraction for Black and White Elderly Migrants in the United States

This research evaluates the location of adult children as a determinant of interstate primary migration for elderly (aged 60+) blacks and whites, over the 1985-90 period. We find that the location of adult children, as well as environmental amenities, affect the migration of both elderly blacks and whites but exert different redistribution influences on each race. Our results support the migration implications of Eugene Litwak's theory of the "modified extended family", which is considered to be more viable than the isolated nuclear family in a modern society.elderly migrants

Correlates of Poverty and Participation in Food Assistance Programs among Hispanic Elders in Massachusetts

Hispanics are a rapidly growing population in Massachusetts, but little is known about the health, nutrition, and economic situation of the elder segment of these groups. In this report, we examine factors associated with poverty and the use of food assistance programs, using data from an NIA-funded project on Hispanic elders in Massachusetts. Poverty is shown to be a major problem with differences across Hispanic subgroups. Puerto Rican and Dominican elders have lower incomes, on average, than other Hispanics—mainly Cubans, and Central and South Americans—or than non-Hispanic whites living in the same neighborhoods. Older age, lower education, and living alone are associated with poverty within this population. Limited income sources and recent immigration are also important factors. Hispanic elders are more likely to receive SSI benefits, but are much less likely to have pension income. Financial insecurity in old age among Hispanics is associated with more chronic ailment and mobility limitations. Puerto Rican and Dominican elders have the highest poverty and disability rates and report the most food insecurity. However, with the exception of the Food Stamp program, participation in food programs tends to be very low for these Hispanic elders. Given the prevalence of problems demonstrated by these groups, more attention to program outreach and adaptation for Hispanic elders is needed.

Characterization and Explanation of the 1996-2001 Inter-CMA Migration of the Second Generation in Canada

Based on the primary micro data files of the 2001 Canadian census, I investigated the 1996-2001 internal migration patterns of the 2nd generation, in comparison to those of the 1st, 1.5, and 3rd+ generations. In the descriptive analysis, I found that the overall out-migration rate increased monotonically with an increase in generation status. However, with the exception of Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, the CMA specific out-migration rate generally decreased with an increase in generation status. In terms of in-migration, Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary were the predominant destinations for all generations. In the multivariate analysis, I found that the different generations were subject to the effects of the same set of explanatory factors -- labor market factors, ethnic similarity factor, and personal factors. Compared to the first generation immigrants, the second generation was less dependent on ethnic communities and more sensitive to the changing spatial economy of the CMA system.internal migration, second generation, immigrants, Canada

The Regulation of Migration in a Transition Economy: China’s Hukou System

Unlike most countries, China regulates internal migration. Public benefits, access to good quality housing, schools, health care, and attractive employment opportunities are available only to those who have local registration (Hukou). Coincident with the deepening of economic reforms, Hukou has gradually been relaxed since the 1980s, helping to explain an extraordinary surge of migration within China. In this study of interprovincial Chinese migration, we address two questions. First, what is a sensible way of incorporating Hukou into theoretical and empirical models of internal migration? Second, to what extent has Hukou influenced the scale and structure of migration? We incorporate two alternative measures of Hukou into a modified gravity model – the unregistered migrant's: (i) perceived probability of securing Hukou; and (ii) perceived probability of securing employment opportunities available only to those with Hukou. In contrast to previous studies, our model includes a much wider variety of control especially important for the Chinese case. Analyzing the relationship between Hukou and migration using census data for 1985-90, 1995-2000 and 2000-05, we find that migration is very sensitive to Hukou, with the greatest sensitivity occurring during the middle period.internal migration, Hukou, migrant networks, reforms

Loglinear model selection and human mobility

Methods for selecting loglinear models were among Steve Fienberg’s research interests since the start of his long and fruitful career. After we dwell upon the string of papers focusing on loglinear models that can be partly attributed to Steve’s contributions and influential ideas, we develop a new algorithm for selecting graphical loglinear models that is suitable for analyzing hyper-sparse contingency tables. We show how multi-way contingency tables can be used to represent patterns of human mobility. We analyze a dataset of geolocated tweets from South Africa that comprises 46 million latitude/longitude locations of 476,601 Twitter users that is summarized as a contingency table with 214 variables

The Effects of Aging on Migration in a Transition Economy: The Case of China

China has been experiencing two major demographic sea changes since the late 1970s: (i) Internal migration, primarily rural-to-urban, on a scale that dwarfs all other countries at any time in history; and (ii) a shift in its age distribution. The basic question posed in this paper is: How are aging and migration related in post-reform China? We argue that there is probably two-way causality: Shifts in the origin region's age distribution induce changes in the scale and structure of migration, but out- (in-) migration shifts the origin's (destination's) age distribution. We examine theoretically and empirically the relationship between origin age distribution and interprovincial migration in China using province-level census data for 1985-2005. The goal of the paper is two-fold: (i) To develop a more refined theoretical model that explains how a migrant's age affects his/her likelihood of migration; and (ii) to obtain unbiased estimates of the effect of age on the interprovincial migration rate. Our theory section is motivated by the observation that, while most researchers recognize the importance of including age in theoretical and empirical models of migration, the exact reasons for why age affects migration have not been analyzed very thoroughly. We model the migration decision and demonstrate that there is an ambiguous relationship between age and the likelihood of migration. Implications of the theory are tested with an extended modified gravity model using OLS and 2SLS.internal migration, age distribution, reforms

Repeat Migration in the United States: A Comparison of Black, Hispanic, and White Return and Onward Migrants

The primary objective of this study is to examine U.S. repeat migration for blacks, Hispanics, and whites. It investigates the relationships and patterns of these different racial/ethnic groups utilizing the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79). Repeat migration within and across categories of individual characteristics for blacks, Hispanics, and whites, is compared in order to determine if there are differences in the overall rates of repeat migration for these groups, once other factors are controlled. To do this several statistical procedures are utilized, and the results of selected descriptive and logistic analyses are presented. The descriptive statistics control for race/ethnicity and examine patterns within the groups; these findings display important relationships to onward and return migration. The inferential statistical method employed is logistic regression for the sample as a whole, which examines the effects across the groups, and the direction of migration. Where past research has not investigated the complexities of repeat migration in combination with race/ethnicity, there are several notable results from this study. Specifically, this research finds that in terms of onward migration, whites are significantly more likely to move onward than are blacks or Hispanics even after controlling for key socioeconomic factors. Changes in marital status are significantly related to migration, and to the direction of repeat migration; individuals who change from single to married are likely to be onward migrants, whereas those who change from married to single are likely to be return migrants. This study finds there are differences in rates of return migration by level of education for racial/ethnic groups. Moreover, the relationship between onward migration and employment status is different for Hispanics than blacks and whites

Are Migrants More Skilled than Non-Migrants?: Repeat, Return and Same-Employer Migrants

I examine the determinants of inter-state migration of adults within western Germany, using the German Socio-Economic Panel from 1984 - 2000. I highlight the prevalence and distinctive characteristics of migrants who do not change employers. Same-employer migrants represent 25 % of all migrants, and have higher education and pre-move wages than non-migrants. Conditional on age, same-employer migrants are therefore more skilled than non-migrants. By contrast, although other migrants have higher education than non-migrants, they do not have higher pre-move wages. Furthermore, they have in their ranks disproportionate numbers of the non-employed, unemployed and recently laid off. It therefore seems inappropriate to characterize them as more skilled than non-migrants. The results for same-employer migrants indicate that skilled workers have a low-cost migration avenue that has not been considered in the previous literature. I also analyze the relation between repeat and return migration and distinguish between short and long-distance migration. I confirm that long-distance migrants are more skilled than short-distance migrants, as predicted by theory, and I show that return migrants are a mix of successes and failures.