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Locus of control and internal migration

Author

Listed:
  • Marco Caliendo

    (Director of Research at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn and affiliated with DIW Berlin and IAB - Director of Research at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn and affiliated with DIW Berlin and IAB)

  • Deborah A Cobb-Clark
  • Juliane Hennecke
  • Arne Uhlendorff

    (CREST - Centre de Recherche en Économie et Statistique - ENSAI - Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse de l'Information [Bruz] - Groupe ENSAE-ENSAI - Groupe des Écoles Nationales d'Économie et Statistique - X - École polytechnique - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris - ENSAE Paris - École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique - Groupe ENSAE-ENSAI - Groupe des Écoles Nationales d'Économie et Statistique - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

We model migration across domestic labor markets (internal migration) as the outcome of a job search process in which job seekers form subjective beliefs about the return search effort that are related to their locus of control. Job seekers with an internal locus of control are predicted to search across larger geographic areas and migrate more frequently as a result. We empirically test the relationship between locus of control and the propensity to migrate using data from the German SocioEconomic Panel (SOEP). We find that not only do individuals with an internal locus of control express more willingness to migrate, they do in fact also migrate more often.

Suggested Citation

  • Marco Caliendo & Deborah A Cobb-Clark & Juliane Hennecke & Arne Uhlendorff, 2019. "Locus of control and internal migration," Post-Print hal-04354679, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04354679
    DOI: 10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2019.103468
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Antonio Di Paolo & Ada Ferrer‐i‐Carbonell, 2022. "Regional borders, local unemployment, and life satisfaction," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(2), pages 412-442, March.
    2. Chhavi Tiwari & Sankalpa Bhattacharjee & Pradeepta Sethi & Debkumar Chakrabarti, 2022. "Internal Migration and Rural Inequalities in India," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(4), pages 1673-1698, August.
    3. Daniel Crown & Masood Gheasi & Alessandra Faggian, 2020. "Interregional mobility and the personality traits of migrants," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 99(4), pages 899-914, August.
    4. Caliendo, Marco & Cobb-Clark, Deborah A. & Silva-Goncalves, Juliana & Uhlendorff, Arne, 2024. "Locus of control and the preference for agency," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    5. Churchill, Rejoice E.A. & Asante, Augustine, 2024. "Locus of control and the long-term effects of parental smoking on mental health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 361(C).
    6. João Ricardo Faria & Franklin G. Mixon, 2022. "Labor Markets and Sustainability: Short-Run Dynamics and Long-Run Equilibrium," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-10, April.
    7. 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].
    8. Staneva, Anita & Chai, Andreas, 2025. "Migrant well-being in Australia: Does locus of control matter?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    9. Nguyen, Ha & Schurer, Stefanie & Mitrou, Francis, 2025. "The instability of locus of control: New evidence from the distributional effects of major life events," MPRA Paper 126016, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Jul 2025.
    10. Juliane Hennecke, 2024. "The independent woman—locus of control and female labor force participation," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 329-357, March.
    11. Qian, Chen & Li, Fan & Antonides, Gerrit & Heerink, Nico & Ma, Xianlei & Li, Xiande, 2020. "Effect of personality traits on smallholders’ land renting behavior: Theory and evidence from the North China Plain," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    12. Marco Caliendo & Juliane Hennecke, 2022. "Drinking is different! Examining the role of locus of control for alcohol consumption," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 63(5), pages 2785-2815, November.
    13. Bertoni, Marco & Chattopadhyay, Debdeep & Gu, Yuanyuan, 2023. "Medical Brain Drain – Assessing the Role of Job Attributes and Individual Traits," IZA Discussion Papers 16243, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Tabe-Ojong, Martin Paul Jr., 2022. "Ecological shocks and non-cognitive skills: Evidence from Kenya," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    15. Bonacini, Luca & Gallo, Giovanni & Scicchitano, Sergio, 2021. "Sometimes you cannot make it on your own. How household background influences chances of success in Italy," GLO Discussion Paper Series 832, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    16. Mesplé-Somps, Sandrine & Nilsson, Björn, 2023. "Role models, aspirations and desire to migrate," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 819-839.
    17. Cazzuffi, Chiara & Díaz, Vivián & Fernández, Juan & Leyton, Cristian, 2020. "Spatial inequality and aspirations for economic inclusion among Latin American youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    18. Juliane Hennecke, 2020. "Locus of Control and Female Labor Force Participation," Working Papers 2020-03, Auckland University of Technology, Department of Economics.
    19. 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).
    20. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Smyth, Russell, 2021. "Locus of control and energy poverty," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    21. Maryia Akulava & Maribel Guerrero, 2023. "Entrepreneurial gendered ambidexterity in Belarusian SMEs," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 1919-1944, December.
    22. Basu, Arnab K. & Chau, Nancy H. & Lin, Gary C., 2022. "Migration Gravity, Networks, and Unemployment," IZA Discussion Papers 15808, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

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