An Empirical Investigation of Social Capital and International Migration: The Role of Language, Culture and Diasporas
Open Access
Author:
Shea, Nicholas
Area of Honors:
Economics
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Bee Yan Roberts, Thesis Supervisor Russell Paul Chuderewicz, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
migration gravity social capital trust language culture cultural distance religion diaspora ethnic diversity economics
Abstract:
This thesis aims to obtain a better understanding of the role that social capital, language, culture and diaspora networks play in determining migration rates. Using data from the World Bank Global Bilateral Migration Database, and a new set of language variables constructed by Jacques Melitz and Farid Toubal (2014), I conduct a gravity analysis of bilateral migrant flows between 1960 and 2000. Overall, the results produce an image of the migration decision that is in some ways consistent with a traditional theoretical conception of migration as an investment decision, in some ways consistent with previous migration studies studying the role of diasporas, language and culture, but also poses new empirical questions.
