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on Economics of Human Migration |
| By: | Ina Ganguli; Megan MacGarvie |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the evolving trends and policy dynamics of international student migration, focusing on their implications for STEM workforce development and innovation. While the United States has remained a leading destination for international students, recent years have seen a plateau or decline in incoming students, contrasted by growth in countries like Canada, Australia, and emerging hubs such as China and India. International students, particularly in STEM fields, play a critical role in shaping host countries' innovation ecosystems, often transitioning to permanent residents and STEM workers. We review immigration policies, including post-graduation work and residency pathways, highlighting their varying impacts on student inflows and innovation. Policies in Canada and Australia have until recently eased these transitions, while restrictive measures in the U.S. and U.K. have posed challenges. By documenting these trends and policy shifts, we identify gaps in the literature and outline directions for future research at the intersection of international education, immigration, and innovation. |
| JEL: | I23 O31 J61 |
| Date: | 2025–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34212 |
| By: | Alexandra Rottenkolber; Ola Ali; Gergely Mónus; Jiaxuan Li; Jisu Kim (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany); Daniela Perrotta (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany); Aliakbar Akbaritabar (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany) |
| Abstract: | Mobility of researchers is a key driver of knowledge diffusion, innovation, and international collaboration. While prior research highlights the role of networks in shaping migration flows, the extent to which personal and institutional ties influence the direction of scientific mobility remains unclear. This study leverages large-scale digital trace data from Scopus, capturing complete mobility trajectories, co-authorship networks, and collaboration histories of 172, 000 authors. Using multinomial logistic regressions and discrete choice modelling, we systematically assess the effects of first- and second-order co-authorship ties and institutional linkages on scholars’ mobility outcomes, focusing on their first career move. Our findings demonstrate that not only first-, but also second-order co-authorship ties — connections to a scholar’s collaborators’ collaborators — are a strong predictor for the direction of a move. Scholars with extensive individual professional networks, as well as those migrating abroad, are more likely to move along individual ties. In contrast, those from prestigious institutions, as well as those moving nationally, tend to follow institutional routes more often. Discrete choice models further confirm that both individual and institutional ties increase the probability of moving to specific research institutions, with individual connections being more influential than institutional ones. This research provides empirical evidence for the role that individual and institutional connections play in shaping high-skilled labour mobility. Furthermore, it has important implications for migration theory and policy, emphasising the need to support national and international collaborative networks, both individual and institutional, to foster scientific exchange. |
| JEL: | J1 Z0 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2025-028 |
| By: | Rozo, Sandra; Urbina, María José; Wieser, Christina |
| Abstract: | Relocating refugees to remote purpose-built settlements offers an alternative to hosting refugees in traditional camps or local communities. Yet, its consequences remain poorly understood. This paper evaluates the well-being and fiscal implications of relocating Rohingya refugees from the overcrowded camps of Cox’s Bazar to Bhasan Char, a newly developed remote island settlement in Bangladesh. Using data from the 2019 and 2023 waves of the Cox’s Bazar Panel Survey and the Bhasan Char Panel Survey 2022 and considering the absence of systematic se- lection criteria in the relocation process, the paper compares well-being outcomes between relocated and non-relocated households using both unadjusted means and propensity score matching. The paper documents two main findings. First, relocation is associated with a systematic reduction in refugee well-being, including lower food consumption (in both variety and nutritional value), higher illness and depression rates, and lower wages. Second, these outcomes occur despite significantly higher costs: per capita service delivery in Bhasan Char is approximately three times more expensive than in Cox’s Bazar. These results raise important questions about the sustainability and effectiveness of purpose-built relocation models in displacement settings. |
| Date: | 2025–09–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:11204 |
| By: | Joop Age Harm Adema; Lasha Chargaziia; Yvonne Giesing; Sarah Necker; Panu Poutvaara |
| Abstract: | Refugees' decisions to return after conflict carry significant political and economic implications for the origin and host countries. We examine how conflict resolution, security, economic conditions, and corruption influence return decisions. To estimate the causal effect of post-war conditions, we conducted a single-profile conjoint experiment among 2543 Ukrainian refugees across 30 European countries. Respondents were asked how likely they would be to return to Ukraine under different hypothetical scenarios. Results show that territorial integrity and security guarantees are critical, while economic prospects and combating corruption also play an important role. Refugees planning to return are more responsive to different post-war scenarios, and younger respondents are particularly influenced by income opportunities, job prospects, and potential EU accession. Our findings suggest that targeted political and economic reconstruction policies can substantially influence post-conflict return. In the most optimistic scenario, the expected return rate is 47%; in the most pessimistic scenario, only 3%. |
| Keywords: | refugees, return migration, conflict, integration, Ukraine, conjoint experiment |
| JEL: | F22 D74 O15 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12118 |
| By: | Dey, Subhasish (University of Warwick); Kapoor, Mahima (University of Warwick); Mukherjee, Anirban (University of Calcutta) |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we examine if in the UK labour market, for a given job, immigrants are more educated than the natives. The answer to this question has critical policy implications as such skill mismatch signals misallocation of resources. Our theoretical framework explains why we might observe such a mismatch in a full information setup. In our framework, both hard skills (captured by years of education) and soft skills (based on local culture) are critical for productive activities. We further assume that natives have a comparative advantage in soft skills, while immigrants have a comparative advantage in hard skills. Therefore, in equilibrium, immigrants over-invest in hard skills, making them overeducated for a job. Moreover, between first and second-generation immigrants, the degree of overeducation is higher among the first-generation immigrants. We test our theoretical results using a nationally representative survey data from the UK and find support for our theoretical predictions. |
| Keywords: | second-generation Immigrants ; education-occupation mismatch ; UK JEL Codes: J08 ; J15 ; J61 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wrk:warwec:1576 |