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Home is where the history is: How today's migration in Germany is shaped by regional identity

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  • Anna Kremer

Abstract

People are emotionally attached to places and make economic decisions accordingly. I, therefore, study the effect of regional identity on internal migration flows in Germany between 1995 and 2017. Regional identity is proxied by measuring the historical affiliation of NUTS3 regions in the former patchwork of German states. I confirm that historical affiliation determines migration patterns and control for the influence of distance, culture (measured by dialects) and regional characteristics in a gravity model. Exploiting the separation effect of the Berlin Wall confirms that regional identity has a stronger impact on movements than previous migration or family bonds.

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  • Anna Kremer, 2022. "Home is where the history is: How today's migration in Germany is shaped by regional identity," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(2), pages 604-638, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jregsc:v:62:y:2022:i:2:p:604-638
    DOI: 10.1111/jors.12578
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    Cited by:

    1. John V. Winters, 2022. "No Place Like Home: Place-Based Attachments and Regional Science," The Review of Regional Studies, Southern Regional Science Association, vol. 52(2), pages 159-175.
    2. Anna Kremer, 2023. "Gependelt, um zu bleiben? Umzüge und Pendeln in Deutschland," ifo Dresden berichtet, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 30(01), pages 11-18, February.
    3. repec:rre:publsh:v:52:y:2022:i:2 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Lisa Kriechel & Holger Muehlan & Elmar Brähler & Manfred E. Beutel, 2024. "Switching location—shifting mindset? The attitude towards female employment of East–West migrants in Germany," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.

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