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Home Sweet Home?: Macroeconomic Conditions in Home Countries and the Well-Being of Migrants

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  • Alpaslan Akay
  • Olivier Bargain
  • Klaus F. Zimmermann

Abstract

This paper examines whether the subjective well-being of migrants is responsive to fluctuations in macroeconomic conditions in their country of origin. Using the German Socio-Economic Panel for the years 1984 to 2009 and macroeconomic variables for 24 countries of origin, we exploit country-year variation for identification of the effect and panel data to control for migrants’ observed and unobserved characteristics. We find strong evidence that migrants’ well-being responds negatively to an increase in the GDP of their home country. That is, migrants seem to regard home countries as natural comparators, which grounds the idea of relative deprivation underlying the decision to migrate. The effect declines with years-since-migration and with the degree of assimilation in Germany.

Suggested Citation

  • Alpaslan Akay & Olivier Bargain & Klaus F. Zimmermann, 2017. "Home Sweet Home?: Macroeconomic Conditions in Home Countries and the Well-Being of Migrants," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 52(2), pages 351-373.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:52:y:2017:i:2:p:351-373
    Note: DOI: 10.3368/jhr.52.2.0115-6900R1
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    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Home sweet home? Macroeconomic conditions in home countries and the well-being of migrants.
      by maximorossi in NEP-LTV blog on 2016-07-20 17:25:16

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Artjoms Ivlevs & Milena Nikolova & Carol Graham, 2019. "Emigration, remittances, and the subjective well-being of those staying behind," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(1), pages 113-151, January.
    2. Chowdhury, Shyamal & Krause, Annabelle & Zimmermann, Klaus F, 2015. "Arsenic Contamination of Drinking Water and Mental Health," CEPR Discussion Papers 10978, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Ozan Eksi & Asena Caner & Unay Tamgac Tezcan, 2018. "Relative Deprivation and Life Satisfaction among Europeans: Keeping up with Others," Bogazici Journal, Review of Social, Economic and Administrative Studies, Bogazici University, Department of Economics, vol. 32(2), pages 19-46.
    4. Engzell, Per & Ichou, Mathieu, 2019. "Status Loss: The Burden of Positively Selected Immigrants," SocArXiv qr5h7, Center for Open Science.
    5. Akay, Alpaslan & Martinsson, Peter & Ralsmark, Hilda, 2019. "Relative concerns and sleep behavior," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 1-14.
    6. Akay, Alpaslan & Brausmann, Alexandra & Djajic, Slobodan & Kirdar, Murat G., 2018. "Purchasing-Power-Parity and the Saving Behavior of Temporary Migrants," IZA Discussion Papers 11679, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Alpaslan Akay & Amelie Constant & Corrado Giulietti & Martin Guzi, 2017. "Ethnic diversity and well-being," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 30(1), pages 265-306, January.
    8. Akay, Alpaslan & Bargain, Olivier & Elsayed, Ahmed, 2018. "Everybody's a Victim? Global Terror, Well-Being and Political Attitudes," Working Papers in Economics 733, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    9. Martijn Hendriks & Martijn (M.J.) Burger, 2018. "Unsuccessful subjective well-being assimilation among immigrants: The role of faltering perceptions of the host society," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 18-080/VII, Tinbergen Institute.
    10. Akay, Alpaslan & Bargain, Olivier & Elsayed, Ahmed, 2020. "Global terror, well-being and political attitudes," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    11. Nguyen, Ha Trong & Duncan, Alan S, 2017. "Exchange rate fluctuations and immigrants' labour market outcomes: New evidence from Australian household panel data," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 174-186.
    12. Alpaslan Akay & Gökhan Karabulut, 2020. "Personality and positionality-evidence from survey experiments with alternative goods," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 10(1), pages 123-156, March.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C90 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - General
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

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