IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/growch/v53y2022i2p771-799.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Push and pull factors in Tunisian internal migration: The role of human capital

Author

Listed:
  • Rawaa Laajimi
  • Julie Le Gallo

Abstract

This paper examines the pull and push factors of interregional flows in Tunisia, focusing on the role of differences in human capital. Using data from the 2004 and 2014 Tunisian censuses, we estimate a gravity model augmented with proxies capturing high‐ and low‐skilled level human capital and an original nighttime light proxy for regional GPD. We consider both unemployment rate differential and road distance as multilateral resistance variables, and we add cultural and quality of life variables. We find that the macroeconomic variables are the main determinants of interregional flows. As for human capital, high skilled level acts as a pull factor while low skilled level acts as a restraining factor in the destination regions. Furthermore, non‐economic variables have a significant impact on migration flows: Tunisians leave their origin regions not only in search of job opportunities but also in search of better living conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Rawaa Laajimi & Julie Le Gallo, 2022. "Push and pull factors in Tunisian internal migration: The role of human capital," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 771-799, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:growch:v:53:y:2022:i:2:p:771-799
    DOI: 10.1111/grow.12607
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12607
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/grow.12607?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Herbert A. Simon, 1955. "A Behavioral Model of Rational Choice," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 69(1), pages 99-118.
    2. Richard Florida, 2002. "Bohemia and economic geography," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 2(1), pages 55-71, January.
    3. Abigail Wozniak, 2010. "Are College Graduates More Responsive to Distant Labor Market Opportunities?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 45(4), pages 944-970.
    4. Romano Piras, 2021. "Migration flows by educational attainment: Disentangling the heterogeneous role of push and pull factors," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(3), pages 515-542, June.
    5. Graves, Philip E. & Mueser, Peter R., 1993. "The role of equilibrium and disequilibrium in modeling regional growth and decline: a critical reassessment," MPRA Paper 19915, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Treyz, George I, et al, 1993. "The Dynamics of U.S. Internal Migration," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 75(2), pages 209-214, May.
    7. Krugman, Paul, 1991. "Increasing Returns and Economic Geography," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(3), pages 483-499, June.
    8. Fujita,Masahisa, 1991. "Urban Economic Theory," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521396455, January.
    9. Everett Lee, 1966. "A theory of migration," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 3(1), pages 47-57, March.
    10. Mohamed Amara & Hatem Jemmali, 2018. "Deciphering the Relationship Between Internal Migration and Regional Disparities in Tunisia," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 135(1), pages 313-331, January.
    11. Allen J. Scott, 2010. "Jobs or amenities? Destination choices of migrant engineers in the USA," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 89(1), pages 43-63, March.
    12. Romano Piras, 2012. "Internal Migration Across Italian Regions: Macroeconomic Determinants And Accommodating Potential For A Dualistic Economy," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 80(4), pages 499-524, July.
    13. Fu, Yuming & Gabriel, Stuart A., 2012. "Labor migration, human capital agglomeration and regional development in China," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 473-484.
    14. Romano Piras, 2017. "A long-run analysis of push and pull factors of internal migration in Italy. Estimation of a gravity model with human capital using homogeneous and heterogeneous approaches," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 96(3), pages 571-602, August.
    15. Higa, Kazuhito & Nonaka, Ryota & Tsurumi, Tetsuya & Managi, Shunsuke, 2019. "Migration and human capital: Evidence from japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    16. Ronald L. Whisler & Brigitte S. Waldorf & Gordon F. Mulligan & David A. Plane, 2008. "Quality of Life and the Migration of the College‐Educated: A Life‐Course Approach," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 58-94, March.
    17. Alessandra Faggian & Isha Rajbhandari & Kathryn R. Dotzel, 2017. "The interregional migration of human capital and its regional consequences: a review," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(1), pages 128-143, January.
    18. Martin Bell & Elin Charles-Edwards & Philipp Ueffing & John Stillwell & Marek Kupiszewski & Dorota Kupiszewska, 2015. "Internal Migration and Development: Comparing Migration Intensities Around the World," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 41(1), pages 33-58, March.
    19. Adolfo Maza, 2006. "Migrations and Regional Convergence: The Case of Spain," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 26(2), pages 191-202, October.
    20. Aude Bernard & Martin Bell, 2018. "Educational selectivity of internal migrants: A global assessment," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(29), pages 835-854.
    21. Ivan Etzo, 2011. "The Determinants Of The Recent Interregional Migration Flows In Italy: A Panel Data Analysis," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(5), pages 948-966, December.
    22. Partridge, Mark D. & Rickman, Dan S., 2003. "The waxing and waning of regional economies: the chicken-egg question of jobs versus people," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 76-97, January.
    23. Bianca Biagi & Alessandra Faggian & Philip McCann, 2011. "Long and Short Distance Migration in Italy: The Role of Economic, Social and Environmental Characteristics," Spatial Economic Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 111-131.
    24. Jennifer Hunt, 2006. "Staunching Emigration from East Germany: Age and the Determinants of Migration," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 4(5), pages 1014-1037, September.
    25. Jaison R. Abel & Richard Deitz, 2012. "Do colleges and universities increase their region's human capital?," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 12(3), pages 667-691, May.
    26. Michael Todaro, 1980. "Internal Migration in Developing Countries: A Survey," NBER Chapters, in: Population and Economic Change in Developing Countries, pages 361-402, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    27. Pissarides, Christopher A & McMaster, Ian, 1990. "Regional Migration, Wages and Unemployment: Empirical Evidence and Implications for Policy," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 42(4), pages 812-831, October.
    28. Anna Mayda, 2010. "International migration: a panel data analysis of the determinants of bilateral flows," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 23(4), pages 1249-1274, September.
    29. Rolf Sternberg, 2017. "Creativity support policies as a means of development policy for the global South? A critical appraisal of the UNESCO," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(2), pages 336-345, February.
    30. David Karemera & Victor Iwuagwu Oguledo & Bobby Davis, 2000. "A gravity model analysis of international migration to North America," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(13), pages 1745-1755.
    31. Greenwood, Michael J. & Hunt, Gary L., 1989. "Jobs versus amenities in the analysis of metropolitan migration," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 1-16, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Özer İsmet Selçuk & Türk Umut, 2023. "How Does Quality of Life (QOL) Affect Attractiveness of Cities and Internal Migration in Turkey?," Economic Themes, Sciendo, vol. 61(1), pages 85-103, March.
    2. María-Antonia Cuberos & Neida Albornoz-Arias & Carolina Ramírez-Martínez & Akever-Karina Santafé-Rojas, 2023. "Working Conditions of Venezuelan Immigrants in Cúcuta, Los Patios and La Parada (Colombia): Decent Work?," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-17, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mohamed Amara & Hatem Jemmali, 2018. "Deciphering the Relationship Between Internal Migration and Regional Disparities in Tunisia," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 135(1), pages 313-331, January.
    2. Romano Piras, 2017. "A long-run analysis of push and pull factors of internal migration in Italy. Estimation of a gravity model with human capital using homogeneous and heterogeneous approaches," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 96(3), pages 571-602, August.
    3. Vicente Royuela & Jessica Ordóñez, 2018. "Internal migration in a developing country: A panel data analysis of Ecuador (1982‐2010)," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 97(2), pages 345-367, June.
    4. Heather M. Stephens, 2019. "Understanding US college graduate migration," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 509-531, December.
    5. Robert Lehmann & Wolfgang Nagl, 2019. "Explaining spatial patterns of foreign employment in Germany," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(7), pages 991-1003, July.
    6. Maximiliano Alvarez & Vicente Royuela, 2022. "The effect of labor‐market differentials on interregional migration in Spain: A meta‐regression analysis," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(4), pages 913-937, September.
    7. Romano Piras, 2021. "Migration flows by educational attainment: Disentangling the heterogeneous role of push and pull factors," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(3), pages 515-542, June.
    8. Tanja Buch & Silke Hamann & Annekatrin Niebuhr & Anja Rossen, 2014. "What Makes Cities Attractive? The Determinants of Urban Labour Migration in Germany," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(9), pages 1960-1978, July.
    9. María Gutiérrez-Portilla & Adolfo Maza & María Hierro, 2018. "Foreigners versus natives in Spain: different migration patterns? Any changes in the aftermath of the crisis?," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 61(1), pages 139-159, July.
    10. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Tobias D. Ketterer, 2012. "Do Local Amenities Affect The Appeal Of Regions In Europe For Migrants?," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 535-561, October.
    11. Koji Murayama & Jun Nagayasu & Lamia Bazzaoui, 2022. "Spatial Dependence, Social Networks, and Economic Structures in Japanese Regional Labor Migration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-31, February.
    12. John V. Winters, 2017. "Do earnings by college major affect graduate migration?," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 59(3), pages 629-649, November.
    13. Paula Prenzel, 2021. "Are old regions less attractive? Interregional labour migration in a context of population ageing," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(6), pages 1429-1447, December.
    14. Ernest Miguélez & Rosina Moreno, 2014. "What Attracts Knowledge Workers? The Role Of Space And Social Networks," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 33-60, January.
    15. Romano Piras, 2020. "Internal Migration in Italy: The Role of Migration Networks," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 6(1), pages 157-195, March.
    16. Annekatrin Niebuhr & Tanja Buch & Silke Hamann & Anja Rossen, 2012. "Jobs or Amenities – What determines the migration balances of cities?," ERSA conference papers ersa12p401, European Regional Science Association.
    17. Vera Barinova & Sylvie Rochhia & Stepan Zemtsov, 2022. "Attracting highly skilled migrants to the Russian regions," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(1), pages 147-173, February.
    18. Moritz Meister & Annekatrin Niebuhr & Jan Cornelius Peters & Johannes Stiller, 2023. "Local attributes and migration balance – evidence for different age and skill groups from a machine learning approach," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(4), pages 794-825, May.
    19. Piras, Romano, 2016. "I flussi migratori interni ed internazionali dei laureati italiani [The internal and international migration flows of Italian college graduates]," MPRA Paper 70391, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Ye Liu & Jianfa Shen, 2014. "Spatial patterns and determinants of skilled internal migration in China, 2000–2005," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(4), pages 749-771, November.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:growch:v:53:y:2022:i:2:p:771-799. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0017-4815 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.