Migration to developed countries. New evidence

In spite of the relevance of international migration and of the recent advances in the theoretical literature, the evidence on its causes is still scarce and contradictory. Some datasets are not comparable and/or limited in scope, often restricted to the study of migration to only one country. This paper employs a new and comprehensive dataset on migration based on OECD national censuses that identify the country of birth of resident foreign workers and their educational level. Results lend support to the theory of human capital since migrants adopt migration decisions taking into account the wage gap between the origin and destination regions, although its effect depends on the educational (income) level of the migrants. Additionally, there is strong evidence that the larger the previous stock of migrants from the same country of origin and the larger the purchasing power parity, the higher the migration rate. Finally, this paper documents a positive effect of income growth volatility on migration propensity.