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Migration and the epidemiological approach: time and self-selection into foreign ancestries matter

Author

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  • Simone Bertoli

    (CERDI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne, IC Migrations - Institut Convergences Migrations [Aubervilliers], IZA - Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit - Institute of Labor Economics)

  • Melchior Clerc

    (CERDI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne)

  • Jordan Loper

    (CERDI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne)

  • Èric Roca Fernández

    (CERDI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne)

Abstract

Data on individuals of immigrant origin are used in the epidemiological approach in comparative development for understanding cultural persistence, the determinants of cultural norms, and the effects of genetic traits. A widespread presumption is that this approach is exposed to attenuation bias. We describe how the increasing reliance on foreign ancestries to identify respondents' origin can invalidate this presumption. Self-selection into reporting a foreign ancestry and unobserved heterogeneity in the time elapsed since ancestral migration can overestimate the effect of interest. A simple theoretical framework describes the joint influence of these two factors on the estimates obtained from a canonical specification. We provide illustrative examples of the empirical relevance of our concerns drawing on two influential papers in the literature: Fernández and Fogli (2006) and Giuliano and Nunn (2021).

Suggested Citation

  • Simone Bertoli & Melchior Clerc & Jordan Loper & Èric Roca Fernández, 2024. "Migration and the epidemiological approach: time and self-selection into foreign ancestries matter," Working Papers hal-04801563, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-04801563
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-04801563v1
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