Examining the role of amenities in migration decisions: A structural estimation approach

Abstract

I develop a discrete choice dynamic migration model to examine the importance of amenity values in immigrants' migration decisions. The model accounts for differentials in both wages and location‐specific amenities as determinants of migration decisions, and the size of migrants' networks is allowed to influence the value of the US location choice as well. By estimating the model using panel data from the Mexican Migration Project, I find that Mexican migrants place substantial value on amenities in the United States, which are shown to fall precipitously with migrants' age. Simulation results from policy experiments indicate that Mexican immigrants are more responsive to a policy that reduces the amenity values related to unauthorized US residence than to an increase in the number of border patrol officers.

Toward Job or Amenity?: Evaluating the Locational Choice of Internal Migrants in China

“…E. Clark and Cosgrove 1991; Mueser and Graves 1995; Glaeser, Kolko, and Saiz 2001; T. N. Clark et al 2002; Florida 2002; Ferguson et al 2007; Bayer, Keohane, and Timmins 2009; Partridge 2010; Stephens and Partridge 2015; Hong 2016; Gao and Sam 2017). However, there are just as many studies arguing that amenities are, at best, secondary concerns compared to job opportunities in migration decisions (Greenwood and Hunt 1989; Reichert 2002; Chen and Rosenthal 2008; Arntz 2010; Niedomysl and Hansen 2010; Storper and Scott 2009; A.…”

Emigration, population shrinkage and a rationale for local solutions: Lessons for local governments and NGOs

“…We see this general aspiration reflected in a range of places where there is perceived grand opportunity outside of one's home. For instance, Mexicans who aspire to emigrate to the United States (Creighton, 2012;Hong, 2015) or sub-Saharan Africans who see themselves in Morocco (Berriane, 2015) maintain a general aspiration to be somewhere else and achieve something not possible in their homeland.…”

Local economic growth and local government investment in parks and recreation, or five cheese pizzas for $2.6 million

“…Rickman and Wang (2017) find both natural amenities and urban agglomeration drive regional growth, but that demand for natural amenities is more important for growth outside of MSAs. Hong (2016) conducts a panel data estimation at the individual level for Mexican immigrants to the United States, finding that amenities matter for migration choices, especially for older migrants. Gao and Sam (2019) use prefecture‐level data for China with a panel data model.…”