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The impact of non-cognitive skills and risk preferences on rural-to-urban migration: Evidence from Ukraine

Author

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  • S. H. Ayhan
  • K. Gatskova
  • H. Lehmann

Abstract

This paper provides evidence on the impacts of non-cognitive skills and attitudes towards risk on the decision to migrate from rural to urban areas. Our analysis is based on a unique four-wave panel of Ukrainian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey for the period between 2003 and 2012. Adopting the Five Factor Model of personality structure, and using it in the evaluation of non-cognitive skills, our results suggest that such personality traits as openness to new experience and the willingness to take risks increase the probability of migration. On the other hand, the non-cognitive skills conscientiousness and extraversion are found to be negatively associated with the propensity to migrate. The effects are statistically and quantitatively significant, and mainly driven by movements from rural areas into cities. Our results are robust to several sensitivity checks, including tests for reverse causality.

Suggested Citation

  • S. H. Ayhan & K. Gatskova & H. Lehmann, 2017. "The impact of non-cognitive skills and risk preferences on rural-to-urban migration: Evidence from Ukraine," Working Papers wp1106, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    • Handle: RePEc:bol:bodewp:wp1106
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    Cited by:

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    2. Vasyltsiv, Taras & Lupak, Ruslan & Kunytska-Iliash, Marta & Levytska, Olha & Mulska, Olha, 2020. "Інструменти Регіональної Політики Збереження Людського Ресурсу Засобами Регулювання Зовнішньої Міграції Молоді Сільських Територій Карпатського Регіону," Agricultural and Resource Economics: International Scientific E-Journal, Agricultural and Resource Economics: International Scientific E-Journal, vol. 6(3), September.
    3. Hooijen, Inge & Bijlsma, Ineke & Cörvers, Frank & Poulissen, Davey, 2020. "The geographical psychology of recent graduates in the Netherlands: Relating environmental factors and personality traits to location choice," ROA Research Memorandum 001, Maastricht University, Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA).
    4. Didier Fouarge & Merve Nezihe Özer & Philipp Seegers, 2019. "Personality traits, migration intentions, and cultural distance," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 98(6), pages 2425-2454, December.
    5. Wahba, Jackline & Wang, Chuhong, 2019. "Sons or Daughters? The Impact of Children's Migration on the Health and Well-Being of Parents Left Behind," IZA Discussion Papers 12370, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Tymofii Brik & Maksym Obrizan, 2020. "Job market effects of COVID-19 on urban Ukrainian households," Papers 2007.15704, arXiv.org.
    7. Maksimova, Mariia, 2019. "The return to non-cognitive skills on the Russian labor market," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 53, pages 55-72.
    8. Luciana Méndez, 2017. "So dissatisfied to leave? The role of perceptions, expectations and beliefs on youths' intention to migrate," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 17-12, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    9. T. M. Maleva & A. Ya. Burdyak, 2019. "Territorial Mobility of the Russian Population in the Context of Social Dynamics," Regional Research of Russia, Springer, vol. 9(4), pages 350-358, October.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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