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The relation between global migration and trade networks

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  • Sgrignoli, Paolo
  • Metulini, Rodolfo
  • Schiavo, Stefano
  • Riccaboni, Massimo

Abstract

In this paper we develop a methodology to analyze and compare multiple global networks, focusing our analysis on the relation between human migration and trade. First, we identify the subset of products for which the presence of a community of migrants significantly increases trade intensity, where to assure comparability across networks we apply a hypergeometric filter that lets us identify those links which intensity is significantly higher than expected. Next, proposing a new way to define country neighbors based on the most intense links in the trade network, we use spatial econometrics techniques to measure the effect of migration on international trade, while controlling for network interdependences. Overall, we find that migration significantly boosts trade across countries and we are able to identify product categories for which this effect is particularly strong.

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  • Sgrignoli, Paolo & Metulini, Rodolfo & Schiavo, Stefano & Riccaboni, Massimo, 2015. "The relation between global migration and trade networks," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 417(C), pages 245-260.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:417:y:2015:i:c:p:245-260
    DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2014.09.037
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    Cited by:

    1. Rodolfo Metulini & Massimo Riccaboni & Paolo Sgrignoli & Zhen Zhu, 2017. "The Indirect Effects of FDI on Trade: A Network Perspective," Working Papers 04/2017, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, revised Mar 2017.
    2. Lillo, Felipe & García, Leidy & Santander, Valentín, 2017. "Dynamics of global remittances: A graph-based analysis," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 64-71.
    3. Rodolfo Metulini & Paolo Sgrignoli & Stefano Schiavo & Massimo Riccaboni, 2018. "The network of migrants and international trade," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 35(3), pages 763-787, December.
    4. Lanz, Rainer & Lee, Woori & Stolzenburg, Victor, 2019. "Distance, formal and informal institutions in international trade," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2019-03, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    5. Wang, Chao & Zhang, Xinyi & Vilela, André L.M. & Liu, Chao & Stanley, H. Eugene, 2019. "Industrial structure upgrading and the impact of the capital market from 1998 to 2015: A spatial econometric analysis in Chinese regions," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 513(C), pages 189-201.
    6. Sgrignoli, Paolo & Metulini, Rodolfo & Schiavo, Stefano & Riccaboni, Massimo, 2015. "The relation between global migration and trade networks," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 417(C), pages 245-260.
    7. Gao, Cuixia & Tao, Simin & He, Yuyang & Su, Bin & Sun, Mei & Mensah, Isaac Adjei, 2021. "Effect of population migration on spatial carbon emission transfers in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    8. Antonios Garas & Athanasios Lapatinas & Konstantinos Poulios, 2016. "The Relation Between Migration And Fdi In The Oecd From A Complex Network Perspective," Advances in Complex Systems (ACS), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 19(06n07), pages 1-20, September.
    9. Shamnaaz Sufrauj & Stefano Schiavo & Massimo Riccaboni, 2015. "Big hits, export concentration and volatility," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 32(2), pages 135-166, August.
    10. Rodolfo Metulini & Giorgio Gnecco & Francesco Biancalani & Massimo Riccaboni, 2023. "Hierarchical clustering and matrix completion for the reconstruction of world input–output tables," AStA Advances in Statistical Analysis, Springer;German Statistical Society, vol. 107(3), pages 575-620, September.
    11. Albert Millogo & Ines Trojette, 2020. "Pro-trade effects of MENA immigrants in France: does governance matter?," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 40(4), pages 3219-3230.
    12. Wang, Chao & Zhang, Xinyi & Ghadimi, Pezhman & Liu, Qian & Lim, Ming K. & Stanley, H. Eugene, 2019. "The impact of regional financial development on economic growth in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region: A spatial econometric analysis," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 521(C), pages 635-648.
    13. Rodolfo Metulini & Stefania Tamea & Francesco Laio & Massimo Riccaboni, 2016. "The Water Suitcase of Migrants: Assessing Virtual Water Fluxes Associated to Human Migration," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(4), pages 1-13, April.
    14. Filippo Santi & Giorgia Giovannetti & Margherita Velucchi, 2021. "Migrants know better: Migrants' networks and FDI," Working Papers - Economics wp2021_17.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Trade; Migration; Networks; Gravity model; Spatial econometrics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • C1 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General
    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation

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