Emigration and Democracy

48 Pages Posted: 13 Sep 2011

See all articles by Frédéric Docquier

Frédéric Docquier

Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER); Université catholique de Louvain; Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER); CREAM, Centre for Research on Environmental Appraisal & Management, UK; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Elisabetta Lodigiani

University of Milan; Ca Foscari University of Venice; University of Milan - Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano (LdA)

Hillel Rapoport

Bar-Ilan University - Department of Economics; Stanford University

Maurice Schiff

Fellow, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

Multiple version iconThere are 4 versions of this paper

Date Written: May 1, 2011

Abstract

Migration is an important and yet neglected determinant of institutions. The paper documents the channels through which emigration affects home country institutions and considers dynamic-panel regressions for a large sample of developing countries. We find that emigration and human capital both increase democracy and economic freedom. This implies that unskilled (skilled) emigration has a positive (ambiguous) impact on institutional quality. Simulations show an impact of skilled emigration that is generally positive, significant for a few countries in the short run and for many countries in the long run once incentive effects of emigration on human capital formation are accounted for.

Keywords: Migration, institutions, democracy, diaspora effects, brain drain

JEL Classification: O1, F22

Suggested Citation

Docquier, Frédéric and Docquier, Frédéric and Lodigiani, Elisabetta and Lodigiani, Elisabetta and Rapoport, Hillel and Schiff, Maurice W., Emigration and Democracy (May 1, 2011). Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano Development Studies Working Paper No. 307, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1926790 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1926790

Frédéric Docquier

Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) ( email )

11, Porte des Sciences
Campus Belval – Maison des Sciences Humaines
Esch-sur-Alzette, L-4366
Luxembourg

Université catholique de Louvain ( email )

IRES
Place Montesquieu 3
Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348
Belgium

HOME PAGE: http://https://perso.uclouvain.be/frederic.docquier/

Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) ( email )

11, Porte des Sciences
Campus Belval – Maison des Sciences Humaines
Esch-sur-Alzette, L-4366
Luxembourg

CREAM, Centre for Research on Environmental Appraisal & Management, UK

University of Newcastle
NE1 7RU Newcastle Upon Tyne
United States

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Elisabetta Lodigiani

Ca Foscari University of Venice ( email )

Dorsoduro 3246
Venice, Veneto 30123
Italy

University of Milan ( email )

Via Festa del Perdono, 7
Milan, 20122
Italy

University of Milan - Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano (LdA)

Via P. Amedeo 34
Milano, Mi 20122
Italy

Hillel Rapoport (Contact Author)

Bar-Ilan University - Department of Economics ( email )

Ramat-Gan, 52900
Israel
+972 3 535 3180 (Fax)

Stanford University ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305
United States

Maurice W. Schiff

Fellow, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) ( email )

Bonn
Germany

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