Influences of Material Aspirations on Migration

Arland Thornton (), Nathalie E. Williams, Prem Bhandari, Linda Young-DeMarco, Cathy Sun, Jeffrey Swindle, Christina Hughes and Yu Xie
Additional contact information
Arland Thornton: University of Michigan
Nathalie E. Williams: University of Washington
Prem Bhandari: University of Michigan
Linda Young-DeMarco: University of Michigan
Cathy Sun: University of Michigan
Jeffrey Swindle: University of Michigan
Christina Hughes: University of Washington
Yu Xie: Princeton University

Demography, 2019, vol. 56, issue 1, No 4, 75-102

Abstract: Abstract In this article, we investigate the influences of material aspirations on migration in Nepal, positing that material aspirations may have important influences on decisions to migrate and where to locate. We discuss a theoretical model explaining how these aspirations might be key influences in the migration decision. Using detailed continuous migration histories from the 2008–2012 Chitwan Valley Family Study, we estimate logistic and alternative-specific conditional logit models to examine how material aspirations in Nepal influence migration rates and destinations. Our empirical analyses provide strong evidence that material aspirations have large effects on overall rates of migration and affect destination-specific migration rates, particularly for relatively wealthy Western and Asian destinations. We also show an interaction effect between material aspirations and destination-specific expected earnings in influencing people’s migration choices. It is the people with high aspirations who migrate to destinations with high earning potentials.

Keywords: Migration; Ideational influences; Material aspirations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s13524-018-0751-y

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