Journal article

Publication year: 2019

Pages: 981-1008

Journal: Journal of Population Economics

Volume number: 32

Issue number: 3

ISSN: 0933-1433

eISSN: 1432-1475

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-018-0708-x

Publisher: Springer

Abstract: 
This paper investigates how beliefs of the destination country's population in social mobility may influence the location choice of high-skilled migrants. We pool macro data from the IAB brain-drain dataset with population survey data from the ISSP for the period 1987-2010 to identify the effect of public beliefs in social mobility on the share of high-skilled immigrants (stocks) in the main OECD immigration countries. The empirical results suggest that countries with higher American Dream beliefs, i.e., with stronger beliefs that climbing the social ladder can be realized by own hard work, attracted a higher proportion of high-skilled immigrants over time. This pattern even holds against the fact that existing social mobility in these countries is relatively lower.

Harvard Citation style: Lumpe, C. (2019) Public beliefs in social mobility and high-skilled migration, Journal of Population Economics, 32(3), pp. 981-1008. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-018-0708-x

APA Citation style: Lumpe, C. (2019). Public beliefs in social mobility and high-skilled migration. Journal of Population Economics. 32(3), 981-1008. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-018-0708-x