In transit: The well-being of migrants from transition and post-transition countries

Milena Nikolova and Carol Graham

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2015, vol. 112, issue C, 164-186

Abstract: The extant literature on migration and well-being has focused on migration's consequences for the receiving countries. In this paper, we ask a different but important question: how much do migrants gain from moving to another country? Using Gallup World Poll data and a methodology combining statistical matching and difference-in-differences, we assess migration's effects on the well-being of migrants from transition economies. We contribute to the literature by showing that in addition to increasing household income, migration enhances subjective well-being and satisfaction with freedom. The results are robust to sensitivity checks. Understanding the causal effects of migration on perceived and actual well-being is crucial for an informed public policy debate and has direct implications for social cohesion and integration policy.

Keywords: Migration; Transition economies; Well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 I31 J61 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (30)

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Working Paper: In Transit: The Well-Being of Migrants from Transition and Post-Transition Countries (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:112:y:2015:i:c:p:164-186

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2015.02.003

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