IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/urbstu/v51y2014i3p477-492.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimal Commuting and Migration Decisions under Commuting Cost Uncertainty

Author

Listed:
  • Christian Schmidt

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to assess the implications of economic uncertainty on individual mobility behaviour at the local and regional levels. Focusing especially on uncertainty with respect to the evolution of commuting costs, a model is developed that describes the interrelated decisions of residential choice and the appropriate type of mobility connecting workplace and residence. Results indicate that higher uncertainty about commuting costs increases the number of residentially immobile individuals in that the decision regarding a relocation of residence is accordingly deferred to a later point in time. This also means that individuals initially commuting between residence and workplace remain in this mobility mode despite an apparently favourable net present value of moving to the workplace region.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Schmidt, 2014. "Optimal Commuting and Migration Decisions under Commuting Cost Uncertainty," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(3), pages 477-492, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:51:y:2014:i:3:p:477-492
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098013498286
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0042098013498286
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0042098013498286?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. Mahmudul Anam & Shin-Hwan Chiang & Lieng Hua, 2008. "Uncertainty and International Migration: An Option Cum Portfolio Model," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 236-250, September.
    2. Noland, Robert B., 1997. "Commuter Responses to Travel Time Uncertainty under Congested Conditions: Expected Costs and the Provision of Information," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 377-406, May.
    3. Burda, Michael C, 1995. "Migration and the Option Value of Waiting," CEPR Discussion Papers 1229, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Dixit, Avinash K, 1989. "Entry and Exit Decisions under Uncertainty," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 97(3), pages 620-638, June.
    5. Ben S. Bernanke, 1983. "Irreversibility, Uncertainty, and Cyclical Investment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 98(1), pages 85-106.
    6. Avinash K. Dixit & Robert S. Pindyck, 1994. "Investment under Uncertainty," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 5474.
    7. Zax, Jeffrey S., 1994. "When is a move a migration?," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 341-360, June.
    8. Simpson, Wayne, 1980. "A simultaneous model of workplace and residential location incorporating job search," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 330-349, November.
    9. Kent Eliasson & Urban Lindgren & Olle Westerlund, 2003. "Geographical Labour Mobility: Migration or Commuting?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(8), pages 827-837.
    10. Larry A. Sjaastad, 1970. "The Costs and Returns of Human Migration," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Harry W. Richardson (ed.), Regional Economics, chapter 9, pages 115-133, Palgrave Macmillan.
    11. van der Veen, Anne & Evers, Gerard, 1983. "A simultaneous model for regional labor supply, incorporating labor force participation, commuting and migration," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 17(5-6), pages 239-250.
    12. R.W. Vickerman, 1984. "Urban and Regional Change, Migration and Commuting — The Dynamics of Workplace, Residence and Transport Choice," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 21(1), pages 15-29, February.
    13. van Ommeren, Jos & Rietveld, Piet & Nijkamp, Peter, 1997. "Commuting: In Search of Jobs and Residences," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 402-421, November.
    14. Jos van Ommeren & Piet Rietveld & Peter Nijkamp & Jos van Ommeren & Piet Rietveld & Peter Nijkamp, 2004. "Job Moving, Residential Moving, and Commuting: A Search Perspective," Chapters, in: Location, Travel and Information Technology, chapter 11, pages 223-246, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Christian Schmidt, 2011. "Commuting and Migration Decisions under Cost Uncertainty," ERSA conference papers ersa10p1481, European Regional Science Association.
    2. Knut Petzold, 2020. "Migration, Commuting, or a Second Home? Insights from an Experiment Among Academics," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(2), pages 277-315, April.
    3. Sergio Vergalli, 2011. "Entry and Exit Strategies in Migration Dynamics," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 32(4), pages 362-389, December.
    4. M. Moretto & Sergio Vergalli, 2008. "Migration dynamics," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 93(3), pages 223-265, April.
    5. Caliendo, Marco & Cobb-Clark, Deborah A. & Hennecke, Juliane & Uhlendorff, Arne, 2019. "Locus of control and internal migration," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    6. Caliendo, Marco & Cobb-Clark, Deborah A. & Hennecke, Juliane & Uhlendorff, Arne, 2019. "Locus of control and internal migration," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Michele Moretto & Sergio Vergalli, 2010. "Managing Migration Through Conflicting Policies: An Option‐Theory Perspective," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 57(3), pages 318-342, July.
    8. Michele Moretto & Sergio Vergalli, 2008. "Managing Migration through Quotas: an Option-theory Perspective," Working Papers 0805, University of Brescia, Department of Economics.
    9. Anette Haas & Liv Osland, 2014. "Commuting, Migration, Housing and Labour Markets: Complex Interactions," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(3), pages 463-476, February.
    10. Chen, Cheng & Senga, Tatsuro & Sun, Chang & Zhang, Hongyong, 2023. "Uncertainty, imperfect information, and expectation formation over the firm’s life cycle," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 60-77.
    11. Limão, Nuno & Handley, Kyle, 2013. "Policy Uncertainty, Trade and Welfare: Theory and Evidence for China and the U.S," CEPR Discussion Papers 9615, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    12. John Gardner & Joshua R. Hendrickson, 2018. "If I Leave Here Tomorrow: An Option View of Migration When Labor Market Quality Declines," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 84(3), pages 786-814, January.
    13. Ryan Kellogg, 2014. "The Effect of Uncertainty on Investment: Evidence from Texas Oil Drilling," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(6), pages 1698-1734, June.
    14. Andrew B. Abel & Avinash K. Dixit & Janice C. Eberly & Robert S. Pindyck, 1996. "Options, the Value of Capital, and Investment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 111(3), pages 753-777.
    15. Barham, Bradford L. & Chavas, Jean-Paul, 1997. "Sunk Costs and Resource Mobility: Implications for Economic and Policy Analysis," 1997 Conference, August 10-16, 1997, Sacramento, California 197060, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    16. Tarun Sabarwal, 2005. "The non-neutrality of debt in investment timing: a new NPV rule," Annals of Finance, Springer, vol. 1(4), pages 433-445, October.
    17. Sergio Vergalli, 2008. "The Role of Community in Migration Dynamics," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 22(3), pages 547-567, September.
    18. Miao, Jianjun & Wang, Neng, 2011. "Risk, uncertainty, and option exercise," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 442-461, April.
    19. Iyer, Sriya & Velu, Chander, 2006. "Real options and demographic decisions," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(1), pages 39-58, June.
    20. Sharma, Ajay & Chandrasekhar, S., 2014. "Growth of the Urban Shadow, Spatial Distribution of Economic Activities, and Commuting by Workers in Rural and Urban India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 154-166.

    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:sae:urbstu:v:51:y:2014:i:3:p:477-492. 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: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/urbanstudiesjournal .

    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.