Migration and aspirations – are migrants trapped on a hedonic treadmill?

Mathias Czaika () and Marc Vothknecht ()

IZA Journal of Migration and Development, 2014, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-21

Abstract: Based on longitudinal information from two waves of the Indonesian Family and LifeSurvey (IFLS) in 2000 and 2007, we find evidence that migrants are self-selectedalong higher individual aspirations acquired (or, inherited) beforemigration. About 70 per cent of aspiration differentials can be explained by factorssuch as young age, good education, or superior socio-economic background, while theresidual seems to be linked to an individual pre-disposition for higher aspirations.However, despite the fact that migration is economically beneficial for mostmigrants, the migration experience itself seems to further increase economicaspirations, hereby trapping migrants on a ‘hedonic treadmill’. JEL classification: D03; J61; R23 Copyright Vothknecht and Czaika; licensee Springer. 2014

Keywords: Internal migration; Migration behaviour; Aspirations; Indonesia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (25)

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DOI: 10.1186/2193-9039-3-1

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