Co-national and transnational networks in international migration to Spain

Nina Neubecker and Marcel Smolka

No 46, University of Tübingen Working Papers in Business and Economics from University of Tuebingen, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, School of Business and Economics

Abstract: This paper provides evidence that transnational networks, defined as networks operating across nationalities, are shaping observed patterns of international migration. In a stylized model of migration with random friendship formation, individuals from a given origin country are attracted to destinations hosting large migrant communities from countries which are culturally and geographically close to their own origin country. In addition, the attracting force of a large community of co-national migrants is the larger, the larger the community of migrants from other culturally proximate countries in the same destination. Both predictions are supported by aggregate migration data on international migration to Spain, detailed by origin country and destination province. Our findings imply that the literature estimating network effects in migration has been overly restrictive in its definition of migrant networks.

Keywords: International migration; Co-national and transnational friendships; Network effect; Spain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-int and nep-mig
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:tuewef:46

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