Experimental Evidence on the Determinants of International Migration
A number of theories have been proposed to explain the reasons why individuals decide to engage in international migration. We use an incentivized laboratory experiment to test for the relative importance of different determinants of international migration. We test theories of income maximization, migrant skill-selection, and multi-destination choice, and how the predictions and behavior under these theories vary as we vary migration costs, liquidity constraints, migration risk, social benefits, and incomplete information. In related research, we address the specifics of illegal emigration from sub-Saharan Africa, typically to Europe and by sea. We examine how different hypothetical scenarios regarding the benefits and substantial risks involved in this type of migration affect potential migration decisions in the context of a lab-in-the-field experiment.
Catia Batista
This profile was current as of 2018, when she was part of the on-campus Kellogg community.
Catia Batista (PhD, University of Chicago), a 2017–18 Kellogg visiting fellow, is associate professor in economics at Portugal’s Universidade Nova de Lisboa, where she is cofounder and scientific director of the NOVAFRICA research center...
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