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Migration flows by educational attainment: Disentangling the heterogeneous role of push and pull factors

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  • Romano Piras

Abstract

This paper analyzes the determining factors of South to Center‐North migration flows in Italy for five different educational groups. We find strong support for the paramount role of total and education‐specific migration networks. Furthermore, we unveil an inverse relationship between the magnitude of the response of migration flows by educational level and the regional endowment of human capital. More generally, it emerges that once migrants educational attainment is explicitly considered, the reaction of migration flows is highly heterogeneous with respect to the push and pull factors that usually determine them. In the economics of migration literature, these results have not yet been documented.

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  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jregsc:v:61:y:2021:i:3:p:515-542
    DOI: 10.1111/jors.12519
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    Cited by:

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    2. Angela S. Bergantino & Antonello Clemente & Stefano Iandolo & Riccardo Turati, 2025. "Shaped by Urban-Rural Divide and Skill: the Drivers of Internal Mobility in Italy," Working Papers wpdea2513, Department of Applied Economics at Universitat Autonoma of Barcelona.
    3. 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.
    4. Feng Shi & Weiwei Cao & Runhua Huang & Wei Geng, 2025. "Spatially heterogeneous drivers of hukou transfer intentions in China: a geographically weighted logistic regression analysis," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 74(2), pages 1-30, June.
    5. Maximiliano Alvarez & Aude Bernard & Scott N. Lieske, 2025. "Explaining interregional migration trends in developed countries: a regional perspective," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 68(5), pages 2413-2453, May.

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