Cohort Size and Migration in a West Indian Population

Abstract

The author examines the relationship between cohort size and migration patterns among the population of the French West Indies island of St. Barthelemy. Data show that "for people born from 1878 to 1967, neither cohort size nor fluctuations in external demands for labor had a lasting effect on the probability of eventual migration. Emigration rates only slowed after the development of the local tourist industry brought prosperity to the island."

The Survival of People and Languages: Schooners, Goats and Cassava in St. Barthélemy, French West Indies

“…Compared to population growth in Canada at a comparable time, population growth on St. Barth is half that of Canada, due not to infertility but to emigration (lavoie 1989). a study of factors influencing emigration between 1954 and 1967 (Brittain 1990) found that emigration was not affected by cohort size or by the availability of jobs at the emigration destination. rather, emigration was a relatively constant factor despite the difficulties, dangers and expenses associated with it.…”