Economic Links between Education and Migration: An Overview

Flash Paper Series, Policy Crossover Center Vienna - Europe, NO. 4/2018

17 Pages Posted: 19 Jun 2018

See all articles by Heinz Handler

Heinz Handler

Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO); Vienna University of Technology - Institute of Statistics and Mathematical Methods in Economics, Research Group Economics (ECON); Policy Crossover Center Vienna-Brussels

Date Written: May 1, 2018

Abstract

Among the many factors governing migration, education plays a major role, though more in the long run than for short-term floods particularly of irregular migration. Concerning the long run effects, the direction of causation and the slope of the connection are debated in theory. Education not only determines the mobility of people, it also is positively correlated with rising incomes. Empirical evidence shows that for people in developing countries, who are at the low end of the income distribution, more education and rising income levels are push factors for emigration. However, beyond a certain threshold further rising incomes tend to retard migration. As a result, education exhibits an inverted-U shaped relationship with migration. Another remarkable fact is that, on average, people who migrate are better educated than non-migrants back home as well as indigenous people in the host country.

Keywords: education, human capital, migration waves, refugees

JEL Classification: F22, F24, I25

Suggested Citation

Handler, Heinz J., Economic Links between Education and Migration: An Overview (May 1, 2018). Flash Paper Series, Policy Crossover Center Vienna - Europe, NO. 4/2018 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3189725 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3189725

Heinz J. Handler (Contact Author)

Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO) ( email )

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Vienna University of Technology - Institute of Statistics and Mathematical Methods in Economics, Research Group Economics (ECON) ( email )

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Vienna, 1040
Austria

HOME PAGE: http://www.econ.tuwien.ac.at

Policy Crossover Center Vienna-Brussels ( email )

Vienna
Austria

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