Forced Migration and Food Crises: A Coming Catastrophe?

42 Pages Posted: 26 Aug 2022

Abstract

Food insecurity is a pressing global concern and little is known of its economic outreach. This paper quantifies the effects of food crises on international forced migration (FIMs) flows using a structural gravity model. We construct a dataset that measures the severity, intensity, and causes of the food crises. Results suggest that food crises increase international forced migration. While mild food crises skew international migrants to developed and non-neighbouring countries, more severe events tend to divert them to closer destinations. The results obtained appear to indicate that food crises tighten liquidity constraints on migration and that these constraints worsen as the food crisis intensifies. Under more severe food crises, migrants may lack the necessary resources to afford the higher costs of migrating internationally, and particularly to a developed nation, thus choosing a closer destination or migrating internally.

Keywords: Forced migration, Food crisis, Food insecurity, Gravity equation

Suggested Citation

Carril-Caccia, Federico and Paniagua, Jordi and Suarez-Varela, Marta, Forced Migration and Food Crises: A Coming Catastrophe?. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4201350 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4201350

Federico Carril-Caccia

University of Granada ( email )

C/Rector López Argueta S/N
Granada, 18071
Spain

Jordi Paniagua

University of Valencia ( email )

Calle de Guillem de Castro, 94
34
Valencia, Valencia 46003
Spain

Marta Suarez-Varela (Contact Author)

Bank of Spain ( email )

Calle Alcala, 48
Madrid, 28014
Spain

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
46
Abstract Views
429
PlumX Metrics