Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/120959 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 9309
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We investigate emigrant self-selection according to institutional quality using up to 3,566 observations on bilateral migration flows from 77 countries over the 1990-2000 period. We relate these flows to differences in political and economic institutions. We improve and expand upon previous studies by (i) examining decade-long migration flows that (ii) include flows not only to OECD countries but also to non-OECD countries; also (iii) utilizing an estimation method that takes into account the information in zero value migration flows and (iv) examining not only total migration flows but also college-educated and non-college educated subsamples separately. We find that economic freedoms are a significant pull factor for potential migrants. Once economic freedoms are controlled for, measures of political institutions do not enter significantly into our estimations. Results are similar for college- and non-college-educated subsamples. Improvements in legal systems and property rights appear to be the strongest pull factor for potential migrants.
Subjects: 
emigration
institutions
democracy
economic freedom
brain drain
JEL: 
O43
F22
P51
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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