Migropolis: migration networks and formation of ethnic clusters in cities

In this paper we extend previous models of migration networks and ethnic cluster formation by considering migration as an ethnic-community wide phenomena where established migrants strategically provide support to newcomers. The incentive to provide support is associated with positive externalities which new waves of migrants might have on migrants already settled in the host location. Culturally-based tastes for particular goods and services generate an ethnic consumer demand and only individuals from the same ethnic community have the skills or the “insider’s information” required to provide these goods (protected market). If the ethnic population is large enough, an ethnic sector will emerge and eventually grow as the ethnic population expands further. According to the degree of preferences toward ethnic consumption, the mobility costs of the source locality population and congestion costs (hostility externalities) in the host location, alternative scenarios may arise. These scenarios provide a possible explanation of why different groups of migrants show different migration dynamics. Keywords: Consumption externalities, immigration, ethnic cluster, ethnic goods. JEL classification: F22, J15, J61.

Regional Policy and rent-seeking

The most important policy instrument to promote regional development in the European Union is Strucutral Funds, covering approximately a third of the EU budget. An empirical analysis demonstrates that these funds have on average been ineffective in speeding up the process of convergence with in the European Union. Only in countries with sufficiently good institutions have these funds contributed positively to regional development. Our analysis attempts to shed light on how investment subsidies may create industrialization, and more importantly, how poor quality institutions may prevent this strategy from succeeding. JEL codes: Keywords: Regional policy, rent seeking, industrialization

Organized Crime, Migration and Human Capital Formation: Evidence from the South of Italy

The presence of organized crime is a pervasive feature of many developed and developing countries. Even if ‘mafia’ organizations have greatly enlarged the geographical scope of their activities, as in the past they are still deeply rooted in specific territories where their presence generates a host of influences on socio-economic performances (perverse social capital). In this paper we analyse the consequences of the presence of organized crime on the long-term accumulation of human capital, a key determinant of economic growth. To do this we build a unique dataset where - among other information - we identify municipalities where the presence of organized crime is particularly pervasive in an Italian region, Calabria, where is based one of the most powerful international criminal organization, 'Ndrangheta. Our results suggest that the presence of organized crime inhibits the accumulation of human capital both directly (reducing the incentive to invest in formal education) and indirectly by increasing migration outflows.Organized crime; human capital; social capital; migration

Essays in migration studies: regional integration, the geography of human capital and ethnic communities formation in cities

The essays within this thesis investigate a series of issues of a complex and varied phenomenon: migration, in the first essay we investigate the effects of regional economic integration on the incentive for labour to spatially relocate. By introducing skill heterogeneity and localised human capital externalities in a basic, new economic geography model we provide a framework for re-interpreting the basic core-periphery model as a brain drain model. Incentives and timing of migration of highly skilled individuals depend on the process of goods market integration. When trade costs are high, as in the traditional core-periphery model, a dispersed equilibrium with no incentive to migrate is a stable outcome. The initial phase of regional economic integration is characterised by a brain drain: the highly skilled have stronger incentives to migrate and will compose the initial wave of migrants. If integration comes to a halt, a positive self-selection of the migrants (with all of the highly skilled in one region in my model) might be a stable equilibrium. Eventually, if regional economic integration proceeds, further low-skilled migrants might find it convenient to follow the same pattern. These will lead to a complete agglomeration of all footloose workers in the core region. The results of the paper show the existence of a range of trade costs for which only high-skilled workers have an incentive to migrate. Therefore the benefit of introducing labour heterogeneity in the basic core-periphery model is to enable us to explain one of the most striking features of interregional migration patterns, the positive self selection of the migrants. The second essay moves in the direction of learning more about the micro-level migratory behaviour of talented individuals in the context of a peripheral region. The ability of a regional system to generate human capital is crucial, but it is not a sufficient condition leading to economic success. In this work we emphasise the importance of maintaining and attracting highly skilled and educated individuals and the challenges that migration flows pose for policymaking aimed at fostering human capital accumulation in peripheral regions. We employ a unique data set generated through a postal survey designed and conducted by the author. The focus of our analysis is on the micro-level location decisions of a sample of highly educated and skilled individuals residing in Basilicata, a small Italian Mezzogiorno region, who have benefited from a locally funded human capital investment policy. Thanks to the quality and riskless of the data employed, we are able to conduct a very detailed analysis of the migration propensities on the basis of individual's characteristics. We find that even within a fairly homogeneous group of highly skilled and educated individuals the probability to move is higher for the most talented. Individuals migration propensity considerably differ according to the subjects and the locations of attendance of their studies. In addition, we investigate what are the regional characteristics that make a region attractive for highly educated and talented individuals. The results of the analysis constitute a valuable knowledge that can be used in a strategic way to formulate talent attraction and retention policies. In the last essay, we extend previous models of migration networks and ethnic communities formation by considering migration as ethnic-community-wide phenomena where established migrants strategically provide support to newcomers. The incentive to provide support is associated with positive externalities which new waves of migrants might have on migrants already settled in the host location. Culturally-based tastes for particular goods and services generate an ethnic consumer demand and only individuals from the same ethnic community have the skills or the "insider's information" required to provide these goods (protected market). If the ethnic population is large enough, an ethnic sector will emerge and eventually grow as the ethnic population expands further. According to the degree of preferences toward ethnic consumption, the mobility costs of the source locality population and congestion costs (hostility externalities) in the host location, alternative scenarios may arise. These scenarios provide a possible explanation of why different groups of migrants show different migration dynamics

Industrial Clusters Promotion as a tool for private sector development: The UNIDO experience in Ethiopia

Policies aimed at boosting the interaction and cooperation of economic actors in industrial clusters might represent a crucial strategy for industrial upgrading and development in poor countries. This policy brief discusses some recent industrial cluster programmes carried out by UNIDO in Ethiopia and highlights the main advantages of cluster policies and the lessons learned

Climate variability and international migration: an empirical analysis

Is international migration an adaptation strategy to sudden or gradual climatic shocks? In this paper we investigate the direct and the indirect role of climatic shocks in developing countries as a determinant of out-migration flows toward rich OECD countries in the period 1990–2001. Contrarily to the bulk of existing studies, we use a macro approach and explicitly consider the heterogeneity of climatic shocks (type, size, sign of shocks and seasonal effects). Our results show that the occurrence of adverse climatic events in origin countries has significative direct and indirect effects on out-migration from poor to rich countries

Immigrazione, rimesse e sviluppo

Da alcuni anni a questa parte, il tema dell’immigrazione attrae l’attenzione crescente dei mezzi di informazione. Non tutte le prospettive d’analisi hanno però il medesimo impatto mediatico, e le discussioni recenti sembrano concentrarsi principalmente sui problemi di sicurezza e di legalità, apparentemente di maggiore interesse per il pubblico. A nostro avviso, invece, sarebbe meglio concentrarsi sulle potenzialità economiche delle immigrazioni, che sono numerose e importanti, anche per il nostro paese. Questo contributo fornisce una prospettiva d’analisi del fenomeno immigratorio decisamente meno consueta, ma non di secondaria importanza, guardando al ruolo potenziale delle rimesse per lo sviluppo dei paesi di origine nonché per i paesi ospitanti

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020