IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ucp/jlabec/doi10.1086-694616.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Who Migrates and Why? Evidence from Italian Administrative Data

Author

Listed:
  • Cristian Bartolucci
  • Claudia Villosio
  • Mathis Wagner

Abstract

We use 20 years of Italian administrative panel data to identify the role of ability in migration from south to north. Using a novel iterative estimation method for a switching regression model with the same worker-specific source of unobserved heterogeneity in selection and outcome equations, we find that returns to ability are lower in the north than the south. Accordingly, migrants are drawn from the lower half of the ability distribution. Higher wages and employment rates each account for around half the gains from migration. Return migration reinforces the original negative selection of migrants, consistent with migrants facing considerable uncertainty.

Suggested Citation

  • Cristian Bartolucci & Claudia Villosio & Mathis Wagner, 2018. "Who Migrates and Why? Evidence from Italian Administrative Data," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 36(2), pages 551-588.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlabec:doi:10.1086/694616
    DOI: 10.1086/694616
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/694616
    Download Restriction: Access to the online full text or PDF requires a subscription.
    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/694616
    Download Restriction: Access to the online full text or PDF requires a subscription.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1086/694616?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ruiqi Liu & Ben Boukai & Zuofeng Shang, 2019. "Statistical Inference on Partially Linear Panel Model under Unobserved Linearity," Papers 1911.08830, arXiv.org.
    2. Gaetano Basso & Salvatore Lo Bello & Francesca Subioli, 2023. "Labor market dynamics and geographical reallocations," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1430, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    3. Michael Brottrager & Jesus Crespo Cuaresma & Dominic Kniveton & Saleem H. Ali, 2023. "Natural resources modulate the nexus between environmental shocks and human mobility," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    4. Emmler, Julian & Fitzenberger, Bernd, 2020. "The role of unemployment and job change when estimating the returns to migration," IAB-Discussion Paper 202037, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    5. Nocito, Samuel & Sartarelli, Marcello & Sobbrio, Francesco, 2023. "A beam of light: Media, tourism and economic development," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    6. Alasalmi, Juho, 2023. "Self-selection of Job-to-job Migrants on Match Quality," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277633, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    7. Cervellati, Matteo & Esposito, Elena & Sunde, Uwe & Yuan, Song, 2022. "Malaria and Chinese economic activities in Africa," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    8. Al Husein, N. & Wagner, N., 2020. "Determinants of intended return migration among refugees : A comparison of Syrian refugees in Germany and Turkey," ISS Working Papers - General Series 127798, International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS), The Hague.
    9. Samuel Nocito & Marcello Sartarelli & Francesco Sobbrio, 2021. "A Beam of Light: Media, Tourism & Economic Development," CESifo Working Paper Series 9055, CESifo.
    10. Davide Fiaschi & Cristina Tealdi, 2018. "Some Stylized Facts on Italian Inter-regional Migration," Discussion Papers 2018/231, Dipartimento di Economia e Management (DEM), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
    11. Emmler, Julian & Fitzenberger, Bernd, 2020. "The Role of Unemployment and Job Change When Estimating the Returns to Migration," IZA Discussion Papers 13740, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Sargent, Kristina, 2023. "The labor market impacts of Brexit: Migration and the European union," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:ucp:jlabec:doi:10.1086/694616. 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.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using 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: Journals Division (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JOLE .

    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.