The Role of Welfare and Space in the Migration of the Poor

Brian Cushing ()

Working Papers from Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University

Abstract: This study investigates whether interstate differences in welfare benefits affected destination choices of low-income households in the United States during the 1985-90 period. It considers place-to-place migration decisions of poor single-parent females within a conditional logit framework. The research develops an array of variables that add a substantial spatial component to the analysis. The empirical results reconcile conclusions of recent academic literature with the views of state policy officials, but in a somewhat unexpected way. This study finds only modest evidence of a welfare magnet effect, and only for contiguous states. On the other hand, the study strongly confirms the importance of space and connections between places when explaining migration of the poor.

Keywords: welfare; migration; regional; logit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O18 R11 R13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 30 pages
Date: 2005-11-10
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rri:wpaper:2005wp08

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