TY - JOUR
T1 - Have the poor always been less likely to migrate? Evidence from inheritance practices during the age of mass migration
AU - Abramitzky, Ran
AU - Boustan, Leah Platt
AU - Eriksson, Katherine
PY - 2013/5
Y1 - 2013/5
N2 - Using novel data on 50,000 Norwegian men, we study the effect of wealth on the probability of internal or international migration during the Age of Mass Migration (1850-1913), a time when the US maintained an open border to European immigrants. We do so by exploiting variation in parental wealth and in expected inheritance by birth order, gender composition of siblings, and region. We find that wealth discouraged migration in this era, suggesting that the poor could be more likely to move if migration restrictions were lifted today. We discuss the implications of these historical findings to developing countries.
AB - Using novel data on 50,000 Norwegian men, we study the effect of wealth on the probability of internal or international migration during the Age of Mass Migration (1850-1913), a time when the US maintained an open border to European immigrants. We do so by exploiting variation in parental wealth and in expected inheritance by birth order, gender composition of siblings, and region. We find that wealth discouraged migration in this era, suggesting that the poor could be more likely to move if migration restrictions were lifted today. We discuss the implications of these historical findings to developing countries.
KW - 19th century
KW - Childhood environment
KW - Migration
KW - Selection
KW - Wealth
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84877608520&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84877608520&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2012.08.004
DO - 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2012.08.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 26609192
AN - SCOPUS:84877608520
SN - 0304-3878
VL - 102
SP - 2
EP - 14
JO - Journal of Development Economics
JF - Journal of Development Economics
ER -