Self-Selection Patterns in Mexico-U.S. Migration : The Role of Migration Networks
The authors examine the role of migration networks in determining self-selection patterns of Mexico-U.S. migration. They first present a simple theoretical framework showing how such networks impact on migration incentives at different education le...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/02/7346672/self-selection-patterns-mexico-us-migration-role-migration-networks http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7149 |
| Summary: | The authors examine the role of
migration networks in determining self-selection patterns of
Mexico-U.S. migration. They first present a simple
theoretical framework showing how such networks impact on
migration incentives at different education levels and,
consequently, how they are likely to affect the expected
skill composition of migration. Using survey data from
Mexico, the authors then show that the probability of
migration is increasing with education in communities with
low migrant networks, but decreasing with education in
communities with high migrant networks. This is consistent
with positive self-selection of migrants being driven by
high migration costs, and with negative self-selection of
migrants being driven by lower returns to education in the
U.S. than in Mexico. |
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