Self-Selection and the Impact of Migration on Earnings

Authors

  • Ricardo R. G. Avelino Department of Economics, University of Sao Paulo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12660/bre.v30n12010.3501

Keywords:

Migration, Self-selection, Roy model, Two-step estimation

Abstract

This paper formulates and estimates a comparative advantage model of migration in which individuals maximize the value of log earnings, net of moving costs, by choosing between a pair of locations. Using a subsample of males from the 2003 wave of the PNAD, a comprehensive Brazilian national household survey, I construct six measures to assess the impact of migration on earnings. The results do not support the common notion that migrants constitute a positive selected subsample of the population, i.e., that they have unobservable traits which make them more productive than non-migrants at the destination, after controlling for observable characteristics.

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Published

2010-10-11

Issue

Vol. 30 No. 1 (2010)

Section

Articles