A closer look at the determinants of international migration: decomposing cultural distance

Roger White, David Buehler

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Using a modified gravity model and three measures of cultural distance, we employ the zero-inflated negative binomial estimation technique to examine the impact of cultural distance on international migration flows. We confirm the finding of prior studies that there exists a negative relationship between composite measures of cultural distance and immigrant flows. Extending the literature, we decompose our composite cultural distance measures into their component dimensions to examine potential variability in the influences of individual dimensions on international migration. We find the cultural dimensions that reflect individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and perceived gender roles are typically more influential in determining immigrant flows than are other cultural dimensions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3575-3595
Number of pages21
JournalApplied Economics
Volume50
Issue number33
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 15 2018

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Economics and Econometrics

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