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Cultural Distance and Internal Migration: Evidence from Indonesia

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  • Yao Wang

Abstract

By use of rich ethnolinguistic and migration data, this paper studies how cultural distance affects internal migration in Indonesia. I estimate a migration gravity equation using linguistic distance as a proxy for cultural distance and data from the 1930 colonial census to instrument for current linguistic distance. The findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship: greater cultural distance initially encourages migration between culturally closer location pairs, but this trend reverses as cultural distance increases. Analysis of the underlying mechanisms suggests that skill complementarity and amenity effects drive the positive impacts, while communication barriers and intergroup tolerance contribute to higher migration costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Yao Wang, 2026. "Cultural Distance and Internal Migration: Evidence from Indonesia," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 74(2), pages 565-606.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:ecdecc:doi:10.1086/736707
    DOI: 10.1086/736707
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