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What makes us move, what makes us stay: The role of culture in intra-EU mobility

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  • Ekaterina Sprenger

    (ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics)

Abstract

This article analyses the determinants of international migration flows within the European Union and specifically focuses on the role of cultural and linguistic differences in explaining the size of these flows. For that purpose, a set of indicators of cultural distance are controlled for along with economic, demographic, geographical, political and network variables using data from 28 member states of the European Union over the period 1998-2018. Economic factors play an important role in examining migration flows, but economic differentials alone may be insufficient to explain the uneven real-life migration pattern in the EU. The results suggest strong evidence of the importance of linguistic distance in explaining the direction of migration flows across the European Union.

Suggested Citation

  • Ekaterina Sprenger, 2021. "What makes us move, what makes us stay: The role of culture in intra-EU mobility," SERIES 04-2021, Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza - Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", revised Oct 2021.
    • Handle: RePEc:bai:series:series_wp_04-2021
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    European Union; Geographic Mobility; Labour Mobility; Migration; Optimum Currency Area;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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