Inequality and the (self-)selection of international migrants : theory and novel evidence

"This paper analyses the (self-)selection of migrants between countries which have substantial differences in the inequality of earnings and income levels. In an extended version of the Roy-model we consider migration costs, which tend to grow less than proportional with the income level. As a consequence, migrants can be favourably self-selected although the inequality of earnings is larger in the destination relative to the sending country. Based on a novel panel data set, covering migration from 143 sending countries all over the world into the 6 main receiving countries in the OECD from 1975 to 2000, we examine the factors which drive the selection bias of the migrant population empirically. The descriptive statistics indicate that migrants tend to be positively (self-)selected although the inequality in earnings is larger in the destination relative to the sending countries. Our estimation results suggest that both, a higher inequality in the distribution of earnings in the receiving and the sending country increases the skill level of the migrant population relative to that of the population in the sending countries. Moreover, the positive selection bias decreases with the income level of the sending country at a given income differential. Finally, migration barriers and distance affect the selection bias positively." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))internationale Wanderung, Wanderungsmotivation, regionale Mobilität, Mobilitätsbereitschaft - Determinanten, ökonomische Faktoren, Einkommensverteilung, Ungleichheit, Migranten, Arbeitsmigration, Qualifikationsniveau, Qualifikationsstruktur, Herkunftsland, Einwanderungsland, Humankapital, Migrationstheorie, Mobilitätsbarriere, Welt, OECD, Australien, Kanada, Frankreich, Bundesrepublik Deutschland, USA, Großbritannien

A Panel Data Analysis of the Brain Gain

This paper casts the Belgian Great Depression of the 1930s within a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) framework. Results show that a total factor productivity shock within a standard real business cycle model is unsatisfactory. Introducing war expectations in the baseline model produces little improvement. Given the evidence on sticky wages put forward by historians, it shows that a simple DGSE model with sticky wages à la Taylor improves on the result.human capital; convergence; brain drain

The evolution of gene duplicates in angiosperms and the impact of protein-protein interactions and the mechanism of duplication

Gene duplicates, generated through either whole genome duplication (WGD) or small-scale duplication (SSD), are prominent in angiosperms and are believed to play an important role in adaptation and in generating evolutionary novelty. Previous studies reported contrasting evolutionary and functional dynamics of duplicate genes depending on the mechanism of origin, a behavior that is hypothesized to stem from constraints to maintain the relative dosage balance between the genes concerned and their interaction context. However, the mechanism ultimately influencing loss and retention of gene duplicates over evolutionary time are not yet fully elucidated. Here, by using a robust classification of gene duplicates in Arabidopsis thaliana, Solanumlycopersicum, and Zea mays, large RNAseq expression compendia and an extensive protein-protein interaction (PPI) network from Arabidopsis, we investigated the impact of PPIs on the differential evolutionary and functional fate ofWGD and SSD duplicates. In all three species, retained WGD duplicates show stronger constraints to diverge at the sequence and expression level than SSD ones, a pattern that is also observed for shared PPI partners between Arabidopsis duplicates. PPIs are preferentially distributed among WGD duplicates and specific functional categories. Furthermore, duplicates with PPIs tend to be under stronger constraints to evolve than their counterparts without PPIs regardless of their mechanism of origin. Our results support dosage balance constraint as a specific property of genes involved in biological interactions, including physical PPIs, and suggest that additional factors may be differently influencing the evolution of genes following duplication, depending on the species, time, and mechanism of origin

Immigration and its dependence on the welfare system: the case of France

In this paper, we bring to light the link between immigration in France and the appeal to its welfare system: familial assistance, retirement, health, housing assistance, unemployment benefits and RMI (the French Minimum Guaranteed Income). Our results show that when we control for differences in characteristics between natives and immigrants, the over representation of mi grants among the beneficiaries of social protection is noticed only for unemployment benefits and for the RMI (in addition to an over representation also on housing assistance, in particular for the populations born in North Africa

The (self-)selection of international migrants reconsidered: theory and new evidence

This paper reconsiders the (self-)selection of international migrants. In an extended Roy-model we analyse the factors which affect the selection bias of migrants. In particular, we find that migrants need not necessarily be (un-)favourably self-selected if the inequality of earnings is higher (lower) in the receiving country compared to the sending country. Moreover, migrants might be favourably (self-)selected if the migration costs tend to decline with the skill level of migrants, even if the inequality of earnings is larger in the destination relative to the sending country. Based on a novel data set we find descriptive evidence that migrants tend be positively (self-)selected although the inequality in earnings is higher in the sending relative to the receiving countries. Moreover, our regressions results indicate that both, a higher inequality in the host and the home country, is associated with a favourable selection bias

Inequality and the (self-)selection of international migrants: Theory and novel evidence

This paper analyses the (self-)selection of migrants between countries which have substantial differences in the inequality of earnings and income levels. In an extended version of the Roy-model we consider migration costs, which tend to grow less than proportional with the income level. As a consequence, migrants can be favourably self-selected although the inequality of earnings is larger in the destination relative to the sending country. Based on a novel panel data set, covering migration from 143 sending countries all over the world into the 6 main receiving countries in the OECD from 1975 to 2000, we examine the factors which drive the selection bias of the migrant population empirically. The descriptive statistics indicate that migrants tend to be positively (self-)selected although the inequality in earnings is larger in the destination relative to the sending countries. Our estimation results suggest that both, a higher inequality in the distribution of earnings in the receiving and the sending country increases the skill level of the migrant population relative to that of the population in the sending countries. Moreover, the positive selection bias decreases with the income level of the sending country at a given income differential. Finally, migration barriers and distance affect the selection bias positively.Der Beitrag analysiert die (Selbst-)Selektion von Migranten zwischen Ländern, in denen substantielle Unterschiede bezüglich Einkommensungleichheit bestehen. In einer erweiterten Version des Roy-Modells werden Migrationskosten betrachtet, welche dazu tendieren, weniger als proportional zum Einkommensniveau zu wachsen. Die Folge ist eine positive Selbstselektion von Migranten obwohl die Einkommensungleichheit im Einwanderungsland größer ist als im Auswanderungsland. Auf der Grundlage eines neuen Paneldatensatzes, der Daten zur Migration aus 143 Auswanderungsländern in die sechs Haupteinwanderungsländer der OECD von 1975 bis 2000 enthält, werden die Faktoren der Selbstselektion von Migranten empirisch analysiert. Die positive (Selbst-)Selektion von Migranten trotz größerer Einkommensungleichheit in den Einwanderungsländern wird von der deskriptiven Statistik belegt. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, das sowohl eine größere Einkommensungleichheit im Einwanderungsland als auch im Auswanderungsland das Qualifikationsniveau der Migranten im Vergleich zur Bevölkerung des Auswanderungslands erhöht. Außerdem sinkt der positive Selektionsbias mit dem Einkommensniveau des Auswanderungslandes bei einem vorgegebenen Einkommensdifferential. Weitere Einflussfaktoren sind Migrationshemmnisse und die Entfernung zum Auswanderungsland