Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/197462 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Citation: 
[Journal:] IZA Journal of Development and Migration [ISSN:] 2520-1786 [Volume:] 8 [Issue:] 3 [Publisher:] Springer [Place:] Heidelberg [Year:] 2018 [Pages:] 1-24
Publisher: 
Springer, Heidelberg
Abstract: 
This paper examines the optimal migration duration of Mexican immigrants in the USA using individual-level data from the Mexican Migration Project (MMP). A simple theoretical model rationalizes the decision of the migrant to return to Mexico, despite higher wages in the USA. I use the Cox proportional hazard model to empirically examine the determinants of return migration of Mexican immigrants. This paper contributes to the literature by introducing distances from origin states in Mexico to destination states in the USA as a proxy for costs of migration and uses a US expected wage measure instead of the average US real wages. The empirical analysis shows that the optimal migration duration increases as the US expected wage increases. Importantly, tighter US migration policies have an ambiguous effect on the optimal migration duration while longer distances decrease the hazard of return to their state of origin.
JEL: 
F22
O15
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article

Files in This Item:
File
Size
907.24 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.