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Weather shocks and migration intentions in Western Africa: Insights from a multilevel analysis

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  • Simone BERTOLI
  • Frédéric DOCQUIER
  • Hillel RAPOPORT
  • Ilse RUYSSEN

Abstract

We use a multilevel approach to characterize the relationship between weather shocks and (internal and international) migration intentions. We combine individual survey data on migration intentions with measures of localized weather shocks for Western African countries over 2008-2016. A meta-analysis on results from about 310,000 regressions is conducted to identify the specification of weather anomalies that maximizes the goodness of fit of our empirical model. We then use this best specification to document heterogeneous mobility responses to weather shocks, which can be due to differences in long-term climate conditions, migration perceptions, or adaptation capabilities. We find that droughts are associated with a higher probability of migration intentions in Senegal, Niger and Ivory Coast. The effect on international migration intentions are only significant in Niger. These effects are amplified, but qualitatively similar, when restricting the sample to rural low-skilled respondents.

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  • Simone BERTOLI & Frédéric DOCQUIER & Hillel RAPOPORT & Ilse RUYSSEN, 2019. "Weather shocks and migration intentions in Western Africa: Insights from a multilevel analysis," Working Paper c5999d24-4da2-42c5-8c94-e, Agence française de développement.
    • Handle: RePEc:avg:wpaper:fr10272
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    1. Martínez Flores, Fernanda & Milusheva, Sveta & Reichert, Arndt R. & Reitmann, Ann-Kristin, 2024. "Climate anomalies and international migration: A disaggregated analysis for West Africa," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    2. Marguerite Obolensky & Marco Tabellini & Charles Taylor, 2024. "Homeward Bound: How Migrants Seek Out Familiar Climates," RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 2401, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
    3. John Aoga & Juhee Bae & Stefanija Veljanoska & Siegfried Nijssen & Pierre Schaus, 2020. "Impact of weather factors on migration intention using machine learning algorithms," Papers 2012.02794, arXiv.org.
    4. Els BEKEART & Ilse RUYSSEN & Sara SALOMONE, 2021. "Domestic and International Migration Intentions in Response to Environmental Stress: A Global Cross-country Analysis," JODE - Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 87(3), pages 383-436, September.
    5. Andrea Cinque & Lennart Reiners, 2022. "Confined to Stay: Natural Disasters and Indonesia's Migration Ban," CESifo Working Paper Series 9837, CESifo.
    6. Riccardo Turati, 2020. "Network-based Connectedness and the Diffusion of Cultural Traits," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2020012, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    7. Marco Letta & Pierluigi Montalbano & Adriana Paolantonio, 2024. "Climate Immobility Traps: A Household-Level Test," Papers 2403.09470, arXiv.org.
    8. Nathan Delacrétaz & Bruno Lanz & Amir Delju & Etienne Piguet & Martine Rebetez, 2021. "Impacts of rainfall shocks on out-migration are moderated more by per capita income than by agricultural output in Turkiye," IRENE Working Papers 21-06, IRENE Institute of Economic Research.
    9. Braun, Marius, 2022. "A Real-Options Analysis of Climate Change and International Migration," VfS Annual Conference 2022 (Basel): Big Data in Economics 264006, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    10. Linguère Mously Mbaye, 2023. "Climate change, natural disasters, and migration," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 3462-3462, November.
    11. Kafle, Kashi & Wang, Yuanhang & Kiiza, Barnabas, 2024. "Too poor to migrate? Weather shocks reduce temporary migration among smallscale farmers in Uganda," IAAE 2024 Conference, August 2-7, 2024, New Delhi, India 344270, International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).
    12. Turati, Riccardo, 2024. "Network Abroad and Culture: Global Individual-Level Evidence," IZA Discussion Papers 17270, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Marius Braun, 2021. "A Real-Options Analysis of Climate Change and International Migration," MAGKS Papers on Economics 202138, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    14. Obolensky, Marguerite & Tabellini, Marco & Taylor, Charles A., 2024. "Homeward Bound: How Migrants Seek Out Familiar Climates," IZA Discussion Papers 16710, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Juhee Bae & John Aoga & Stefanija Veljanoska & Siegfried Nijssen & Pierre Schaus, 2020. "Impact of Weather Factors on Migration Intention using Machine Learning Algorithms," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2020034, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).

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    Keywords

    Burkina Faso; Côte d'Ivoire; Mali; Mauritanie; Niger; Sénégal;
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    JEL classification:

    • Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics

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