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Friendship Ties and Geographical Mobility: Evidence from the BHPS

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  • Belot, Michèle

    (Cornell University)

  • Ermisch, John

    (University of Oxford)

Abstract

A common finding in analyses of geographic mobility is a strong association between past movement and current mobility, a phenomenon that has given rise to the so called ‘mover-stayer model’. We argue in this paper that one of the driving forces behind this heterogeneity is the strength of local social ties. We use data from the BHPS on the location of the three closest friends and the frequency of contacts. We estimate the processes of friendship formation and residential mobility jointly, allowing for correlation between the two processes. Our results show that the location of the closest friends matters substantially in the mobility decision, and matters more than the frequency of contacts.

Suggested Citation

  • Belot, Michèle & Ermisch, John, 2006. "Friendship Ties and Geographical Mobility: Evidence from the BHPS," IZA Discussion Papers 2209, IZA Network @ LISER.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp2209
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    1. Spilimbergo, Antonio & Ubeda, Luis, 2004. "A model of multiple equilibria in geographic labor mobility," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 107-123, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Natascha Nisic & Stefanie Kley, 2019. "Gender-specific effects of commuting and relocation on a couple's social life," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 40(36), pages 1047-1062.
    2. Konstantinos Tatsiramos, 2009. "Geographic labour mobility and unemployment insurance in Europe," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 22(2), pages 267-283, April.
    3. Bönisch, Peter & Schneider, Lutz, 2010. "Why are East Germans not More Mobile? Analyzing the Impact of Social Ties on Regional Migration," IWH Discussion Papers 16/2010, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    4. David, Quentin & Janiak, Alexandre & Wasmer, Etienne, 2010. "Local social capital and geographical mobility," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 191-204, September.
    5. Peter Boenisch & Lutz Schneider, 2010. "Informal social networks and spatial mobility: the enduring impact of communist history in Eastern Germany," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(4), pages 483-497.
    6. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/10058 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Alberto Alesina & Yann Algan & Pierre Cahuc & Paola Giuliano, 2015. "Family Values And The Regulation Of Labor," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 13(4), pages 599-630, August.
    8. David, Quentin & Janiak, Alexandre & Wasmer, Etienne, 2008. "Local Social Capital and Geographical Mobility: A Theory," IZA Discussion Papers 3668, IZA Network @ LISER.
    9. David, Quentin & Janiak, Alexandre & Wasmer, Etienne, 2008. "Local Social Capital and Geographical Mobility: Some Empirics and a Conjecture on the Nature of European Unemployment," IZA Discussion Papers 3669, IZA Network @ LISER.
    10. Gundi Knies, 2009. "The Effects of Mobility on Neighbourhood Social Ties," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 175, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    11. David, Quentin & Janiak, Alexandre & Wasmer, Etienne, 2010. "Local social capital and geographical mobility," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 191-204, September.
    12. John Ermisch & Diego Gambetta & Heather Laurie & Thomas Siedler & S. C. Noah Uhrig, 2009. "Measuring people's trust," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 172(4), pages 749-769, October.
    13. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/20g3idj0jd9iqosvjjdcbu44lu is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Alberto Alesina & Yann Algan & Pierre Cahuc & Paola Giuliano, 2015. "Family Values And The Regulation Of Labor," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 13(4), pages 599-630, August.
    15. David, Quentin & Janiak, Alexandre & Wasmer, Etienne, 2008. "Local Social Capital and Geographical Mobility: Some Empirics and a Conjecture on the Nature of European Unemployment," IZA Discussion Papers 3669, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/5l6uh8ogmqildh09h482kc28p is not listed on IDEAS
    17. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/10055 is not listed on IDEAS
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    19. David, Quentin & Janiak, Alexandre & Wasmer, Etienne, 2008. "Local Social Capital and Geographical Mobility: A Theory," IZA Discussion Papers 3668, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. Ermisch, John & Gambetta, Diego, 2010. "Do strong family ties inhibit trust?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 75(3), pages 365-376, September.
    21. Jianliang Nie & Bohan Chen & Yini Liao & Yufeng Wu & Dan Li, 2023. "The Characteristics and the Influencing Factors of Rural Elders’ Social Networks: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-13, February.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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