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on Economics of Human Migration |
| By: | Bisin, Alberto; Patacchini, Eleonora; Verdier, Thierry; Zenou, Yves |
| Abstract: | Using the UK Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities, we explore the determinants of religious identity for Muslims and non-Muslims. We find that Muslims integrate less and more slowly than non-Muslims. A Muslim born in the UK and having spent there more than 50 years shows a comparable level of probability of having a strong religious identity than a non-Muslim just arrived in the country. Furthermore, Muslims seem to follow a different integration pattern than other ethnic and religious minorities. Specifically, high levels of income as well as high on-the-job qualifications increase the Muslims' sense of identity. We also find no evidence that segregated neighborhoods breed intense religious and cultural identities for ethnic minorities, especially for Muslims. This result casts doubts on the foundations of the integration policies in Europe. |
| Keywords: | assimilation; Muslims; religious identity |
| JEL: | A14 J15 |
| Date: | 2007–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:6453&r=mig |
| By: | Zezza, Alberto; Davis, Benjamin; Carletto, Gero; Kilic, Talip |
| Abstract: | In view of its increasing importance, and the dearth of information on return migration and its impacts on source households, this study uses data from the 2005 Albania Living Standards Measurement Study survey and assesses the impact of past migration experience of Albanian households on non-farm business ownership through instrumental variables regression techniques. Moreover, consideri ng the differences in earning potentials and opportunities for skill acquisition in different destination countries, the impact of household past migration experience is differentiated by main migrant destinations, namely Greece and Italy. The study also tests for the hypothesis of the existence of migration cycles, by differentiating the time spent abroad based on the year of return. The empirical results indicate that household past migration experience exerts a positive impact on the probability of owning a non-farm business. While one additional year in Greece increases the probability of household business ownership by roughly 7 percent, a similar experience in Italy or further destinations raises the probability by over 30 percent. Although past migration experience for the period 1990-2000 is positively associated with the likelihood of owning a household enterprise, a similar impact does not materialize for the period 2001-2004. The latter finding seems suggestive of the fact that more recent migrants are yet to attain a target level of required savings and skills in order to successfully establish a new business upon return. |
| Keywords: | Population Policies,Access to Finance,Debt Markets,,Voluntary and Involuntary Resettlement |
| Date: | 2007–09–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:4366&r=mig |
| By: | Zezza, Alberto; Davis, Benjamin; Carletto, Gero; Miluka, Juna |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the impact of international migration on technical efficiency, resource allocation and income from agricultural production of family farming in Albania. The results suggest that migration is used by rural households as a pathway out of agriculture: migration is negatively associated with the allocation of both labor and non-labor inputs in agriculture, while no significant differences can be detected in terms of farm technical efficiency or agricultural income. Whether the rapid demographic changes in rural areas triggered by massive migration, possibly combined with propitious land and rural development policies, will ultimately produce the conditions for more viable, high-return agriculture attracting larger investments remains to be seen. |
| Keywords: | Population Policies,Access to Finance,Agricultural Knowledge & Information Systems,Rural Development Knowledge & Information Systems,Economic Theory & Research |
| Date: | 2007–09–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:4367&r=mig |
| By: | Tomas Konecny |
| Abstract: | This paper estimates the impact of immigrant network spillovers on international trade. Contrary to previous studies focusing mostly on the trade enhancing role of immigrant networks, the present framework allows for potential trade diverting effects. A simple matching model that incorporates both trade creation and diversion channels furthermore points at the importance of relative as opposed to absolute measures of immigrant networks. Using a new dataset of 19 OECD countries, I find that while immigrant networks indeed facilitate exports from host to source country, they simultaneously hurt trade with the host country’s other trading partners. In addition, I find that the impact of information-related trade barriers might be negatively related to the economic size of the trading partner. In particular, the larger the trading partner, the smaller the trade benefits of lower information costs due to a shared common language. |
| Keywords: | International trade, immigration, informal trade barriers. |
| JEL: | F22 O24 |
| Date: | 2007–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cer:papers:wp329&r=mig |