This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Unemployment, migration, and growth

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Valerie R. Bencivenga
Bruce D. Smith

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

Economic development is typically accompanied by a very pronounced migration of labor from rural to urban employment. This migration, in turn, is often associated with large scale urban underemployment. Both factors appear to play a very prominent role in the process of development. We consider a model in which rural-urban migration and urban underemployment are integrated into an otherwise conventional neoclassical growth model. Unemployment arises not from any exogenous rigidities, but from an adverse selection problem in labor markets. We demonstrate that, in the most natural case, rural-urban migration - and its associated underemployment - can be a source of multiple, asymptotically stable steady state equilibria, and hence of development traps. They also easily give rise to an indeterminacy of perfect foresight equilibrium, as well as to the existence of a large set of periodic equilibria displaying undamped oscillation. Many such equilibria display long periods of uninterrupted growth and rural-urban migration, punctuated by brief but severe recessions associated with net migration from urban to rural employment. Such equilibria are argued to be broadly consistent with historical U.S. experience.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.minneapolisfed.org/research/WP/WP561.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in its series Working Papers with number 561.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: 1995
Date of revision:
Publication status: Published in Journal of Political Economy (Vol. 105, No. 3, June 1997, pp. 582-608)
Handle: RePEc:fip:fedmwp:561

Contact details of provider:
Postal: 90 Hennepin Avenue, P.O. Box 291, Minneapolis, MN 55480-0291
Phone: (612) 204-5000
Web page: http://minneapolisfed.org/
More information through EDIRC

Order Information:
Email:
Web: http://www.minneapolisfed.org/pubs/

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Diane Rosenberger).

Related research
Keywords: Unemployment;

Other versions of this item:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Rosenzweig, Mark R., 1988. "Labor markets in low-income countries," Handbook of Development Economics, in: Hollis Chenery† & T.N. Srinivasan (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 15, pages 713-762 Elsevier. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Mazumdar, Dipak, 1987. "Rural-urban migration in developing countries," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: E. S. Mills (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 28, pages 1097-1128 Elsevier. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Mas-Colell, Andreu & Razin, Assaf, 1973. "A Model of Intersectoral Migration and Growth," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 25(1), pages 72-79, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. James E. Rauch, 1993. "Economic Development, Urban Underemployment, and Income Inequality," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 26(4), pages 901-18, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Azariadis, Costas & Drazen, Allan, 1990. "Threshold Externalities in Economic Development," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 105(2), pages 501-26, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Reichlin, Pietro, 1986. "Equilibrium cycles in an overlapping generations economy with production," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 89-102, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Azariadis, Costas, 1981. "Self-fulfilling prophecies," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 380-396, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Grandmont, Jean-Michel, 1985. "On Endogenous Competitive Business Cycles," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 53(5), pages 995-1045, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Benhabib, Jess & Day, Richard H., 1982. "A characterization of erratic dynamics in, the overlapping generations model," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 37-55, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Drazen, Allan & Eckstein, Zvi, 1988. "On the Organization of Rural Markets and the Process of Economic Development," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 78(3), pages 431-43, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Ranis, Gustav, 1988. "Analytics of development: Dualism," Handbook of Development Economics, in: Hollis Chenery† & T.N. Srinivasan (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 4, pages 73-92 Elsevier. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Hatton, Timothy J & Williamson, Jeffrey G, 1992. "What Explains Wage Gaps between Farm and City? Exploring the Todaro Model with American Evidence, 1890-1941," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 40(2), pages 267-94, January.
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Sílvio Rendon & Alfredo Cuecuecha, 2007. "International Job Search: Mexicans In and Out of the US," IZA Discussion Papers 3219, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Yamauchi, Futoshi, 2003. "Are experience and schooling complementary?," FCND discussion papers 166, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Jonathan Temple & Ludger Woessmann, 2004. "Dualism and Cross-Country Growth Regressions," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Mark G. Guzman & Joseph H. Haslag & Pia M. Orrenius, 2002. "Coyote crossings: the role of smugglers in illegal immigration and border enforcement," Working Papers 02 01, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Sergio Vergalli, 2006. "Dynamics in Immigration Community," Working Papers ubs0613, University of Brescia, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  6. Mathan Satchi & Jonathan Temple, 2006. "Growth and labour markets in developing countries," Bristol Economics Discussion Papers 06/581, Department of Economics, University of Bristol, UK. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Stephen Drinkwater & Paul Levine & Emanuela Lotti & Joseph Pearlman, 2003. "The Economic Impact of Migration: A Survey," Department of Economics Discussion Papers 0103, Department of Economics, University of Surrey. [Downloadable!]
  8. Vincenzo Lombardo, 2008. "Dual Economy Models: A Primer for…Growth, Income Distribution and Poverty Analysis," Working Papers 12_2008, D.E.S. (Department of Economic Studies), University of Naples "Parthenope", Italy. [Downloadable!]
  9. Mark Guzman & Joseph Haslag & Pia Orrenius, 2008. "On the determinants of optimal border enforcement," Economic Theory, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 261-296, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Bhattacharya, Joydeep & Chakraborty, Shankha, 2003. "What do Information Frictions do?," Staff General Research Papers 10254, Iowa State University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  11. Jonathan Temple, 2002. "Wage Inequality in a Dual Economy," Bristol Economics Discussion Papers 02/531, Department of Economics, University of Bristol, UK. [Downloadable!]
  12. Steven Garasky, 2000. "Understanding the Employment Experiences and Migration Patterns of Rural Youth and Young Adults," JCPR Working Papers 143, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
  13. Mathan Satchi & Jonathan Temple, 2009. "Labor Markets and Productivity in Developing Countries," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 12(1), pages 183-204, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  14. Sergio Vergalli, 2006. "The Role of Community in Migration Dynamics," Working Papers 2006.4, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  15. Monchuk, Daniel C. & Miranowski, John A., 2002. "The Effect Of Innovative Behavior And Technological Spillovers On Employment Growth In The Us Midwest," 2002 Annual meeting, July 28-31, Long Beach, CA 19773, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association). [Downloadable!]
  16. Lall, Somik V. & Selod, Harris & Shalizi, Zmarak, 2006. "Rural-urban migration in developing countries : a survey of theoretical predictions and empirical findings," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3915, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? There is a FAQ (frequently asked questions).

This page was last updated on 2009-10-29.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.