The Long-Term Impact of International Migration on Economic Decision-Making : Evidence from a Migration Lottery and Lab-in-the-Field Experiments

Gibson, John ; McKenzie, David ; Rohorua, Halahingano ; Stillman, Steven

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: migration;    economic beliefs;    preferences;    household efficiency;    transnational households;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-7848
RP-ID  :  WPS7848

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper studies how migration from apoor to a rich country affects key economic beliefs,preference parameters, and transnational householddecision-making efficiency. The setting is the migration ofTongans to New Zealand through a migration lottery program.In a 10-year follow-up survey of individuals applying forthis program, the study elicited risk and time preferencesand pro-market beliefs. It also linked migrants andpotential migrants to a partner household consisting offamily members who would stay behind if the migrants moved.Survey participants played lab-in-the-field games designedto measure the degree of intra-family trust and theefficiency of intra-family decision-making. Migrationprovides a large and permanent positive shock to income, alarge change in economic institutions, and a reduction ininteractions with partner household members. Despite thesechanges, the study finds no significant impacts of migrationon risk and time preferences, pro-market beliefs, or thedecision-making efficiency of transnational households. Thisstability in the face of such a large and life-changingevent lends credence to economic models of migration thattreat these determinants of decision-making astime-invariant, and contrasts with recent evidence onpreference changes after negative shocks.