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Rural Out-Migration, Income, and Poverty: Are Those Who Move Truly Better Off?

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  • Marre, Alexander W.

Abstract

Are working-age rural migrants to urban areas really better off? This paper uses data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics from 1979 to 1997 to answer this question. It builds on literature by Fisher (2005, 2007) on the role of unmeasured characteristics in influencing rural residential choice and economic outcomes. Recursive bivariate probit models of migration and household poverty and two-stage least squares models of migration and household income are estimated for three periods: 1979 to 1985, 1985 to 1991, and 1991 to 1997. The models used in this study suggest that the relationship between rural out-migration and poverty is mixed, while there appears to be no discernable effect of rural out-migration on income in the short-run.

Suggested Citation

  • Marre, Alexander W., 2009. "Rural Out-Migration, Income, and Poverty: Are Those Who Move Truly Better Off?," 2009 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, 2009, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 49346, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea09:49346
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.49346
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    Cited by:

    1. Jordan, Jeffrey L. & Mykerezi, Elton & Kostandini, Genti & Mills, Bradford F., 2011. "The Determinants of Rural Urban Migration: Evidence from NLSY Data," 2011 Annual Meeting, July 24-26, 2011, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 103938, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Brueckner, Jan K. & Lall, Somik V., 2015. "Cities in Developing Countries," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 1399-1455, Elsevier.

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    Community/Rural/Urban Development; Labor and Human Capital;

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