Welfare Migration

Corrado Giulietti and Jackline Wahba

No 6450, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This chapter reviews and discusses major theories and empirical studies about the welfare magnet hypothesis, i.e. whether immigrants are more likely to move to countries with generous welfare systems. Although economic theory predicts that welfare generosity affects the number, composition and location of immigrants, the empirical evidence is rather mixed. We offer possible explanations for the existence of such mixed evidence and highlight that the literature so far has overlooked the presence of different migration regimes, as well as the possibility of reverse causality between welfare spending and immigration.

Keywords: welfare spending; immigration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H53 J61 J68 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 20 pages
Date: 2012-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ltv, nep-mig and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Published - published in: Amelie F. Constant and Klaus F. Zimmermann (eds.), International Handbook on the Economics of Migration, Edward Elgar 2013, Cheltenham, UK, and Northampton, USA, Chapter 26, 489-504

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Related works:
Chapter: Welfare migration (2013)
Working Paper: Welfare Migration (2012)
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