International Migration and Education: a Central and Eastern European Perspective

The research aims to analyze the role played by the human capital investment in shaping international migration trends and influencing socio-economic development for the EU New Member States during the last decade. Our analysis is based on developing double-log macro-econometric models that combine cross-sections and time series in a panel structure, by using a set of indicators specific for the migration process, as well as for the economic activity, labour market and education, as main explanatory variables. Furthermore, the study focuses on a comparative approach for New Member States, our random and fixed effects models using several quantitative and qualitative proxies in order to highlight the relationship and interdependence between emigration, education and socio-economic development. The results show a positive selection of emigrants at destination according to their educational level, while an increase in education in the source country downsizes the stock of emigrants mainly due to an improvement in employment perspectives. To this respect, an increase in the number of persons with upper-secondary or tertiary education, especially women, has a major impact on shaping international migration flows, particularly for Central and Eastern European economies.