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What Fundamentals Drive World Migration?

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  • Timothy J. Hatton
  • Jeffrey G. Williamson

Abstract

Governments in the OECD note rising immigration with alarm and grapple with policies aimed at selecting certain migrants and keeping out others. Economists appear to be well armed to advise governments since they are responsible for an impressive literature that examines the characteristics of individual immigrants, their absorption and the consequences of their migration on both sending and receiving regions. Economists are, however, much less well armed to speak to the determinants of the world migrations that give rise to public alarm.

Suggested Citation

  • Timothy J. Hatton & Jeffrey G. Williamson, 2003. "What Fundamentals Drive World Migration?," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2003-23, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:dp2003-23
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Emigration and immigration; Equality and inequality; Internal migration; Poverty;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J10 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - General
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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