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Mobility Where Mobility is Illegal: Migration and City Growth in the Soviet Union

Author

Listed:
  • Ira N. Gang

    (Rutgers University)

  • Robert C. Stuart

    (Rutgers University)

Abstract

his paper examines an important anomaly in the internal migration history of the former Soviet Union (FSU). While many cities were closed in the sense of explicitly limiting growth of city population from migration, it was difficult to assess the effectiveness of these controls. We analyze a sample of 308 Soviet cities to isolate the impact of closure regulations controlling for city size. We find that while there are pervasive patterns of city growth, the rate increasing through the 1960s and declining thereafter, there are also pervasive differences between controlled and uncontrolled cities, the later growing significantly faster in almost all cases, controlling for city size.

Suggested Citation

  • Ira N. Gang & Robert C. Stuart, 1998. "Mobility Where Mobility is Illegal: Migration and City Growth in the Soviet Union," Departmental Working Papers 199709, Rutgers University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:rut:rutres:199709
    as

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    File URL: http://www.sas.rutgers.edu/virtual/snde/wp/1997-09.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gur Ofer, 1976. "Industrial Structure, Urbanization, and the Growth Strategy of Socialist Countries," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 90(2), pages 219-244.
    2. Ira N Gang & Robert C Stuart, 1996. "Urban to Urban Migration: Soviet Patterns and Post-Soviet Implications," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 38(1), pages 21-36, April.
    3. Clayton, Elizabeth & Richardson, Thomas, 1989. "Soviet Control of City Size," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 38(1), pages 155-165, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Xavier Chojnicki & Ainura Uzagalieva, 2008. "Labor Migration from East to West in the Context of European Integration and Changing Socio-political Borders," CASE Network Studies and Analyses 0366, CASE-Center for Social and Economic Research.
    2. Gang, Ira N & Stuart, Robert C, 2002. "The Political Economy of Russian City Growth," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 50(3), pages 491-508, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    cities; city growth; fsu; migration; urbanization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers
    • P20 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - General
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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