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Networks and selection in international migration to Spain

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  • Neubecker, Nina
  • Smolka, Marcel
  • Steinbacher, Anne

Abstract

This paper analyzes the role of ethnic communities in shaping the recent immigration boom to Spain. We find that ethnic communities exerted a strong positive effect on the scale and a strong negative effect on the skill structure of this immigration. Unlike previous studies, we explicitly acknowledge similarities among final migration destinations and thus partly relax the independence of irrelevant alternatives assumption. We strengthen our causal interpretation by controlling for observed and unobserved heterogeneity in bilateral migration costs, and by adopting an instrumental variables approach. Our results suggest that previous estimates of the scale effect are upward-biased by approximately 50%.

Suggested Citation

  • Neubecker, Nina & Smolka, Marcel & Steinbacher, Anne, 2012. "Networks and selection in international migration to Spain," University of Tübingen Working Papers in Business and Economics 35, University of Tuebingen, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, School of Business and Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:tuewef:35
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    Cited by:

    1. Neubecker, Nina & Smolka, Marcel, 2013. "Co-national and cross-national pulls in international migration to Spain," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 51-61.
    2. Dorner, Matthias & Harhoff, Dietmar & Hinz, Tina & Hoisl, Karin & Bender, Stefan, 2016. "Social ties for labor market access - Lessons from the migration of East German inventors," IAB-Discussion Paper 201641, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    3. Neubecker, Nina & Smolka, Marcel, 2012. "Co-national and transnational networks in international migration to Spain," University of Tübingen Working Papers in Business and Economics 46, University of Tuebingen, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, School of Business and Economics.
    4. Björn NILSSON, 2019. "Education and migration: insights for policymakers," Working Paper 23ca9c54-061a-4d60-967c-f, Agence française de développement.
    5. Harhoff, Dietmar & Dorner, Matthias & Hinz, Tina & Hoisl, Karin & Bender, Stefan, 2016. "Social Ties for Labor Market Access – Lessons from the Migration of East German Inventors," CEPR Discussion Papers 11601, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    International migration; Ethnic networks; Family and friends effect; Skill structure of migration; Spain;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration

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