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Estimation of a human capital model of migration

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Abstract

The main deficiency of the current literature on the determinants of migration is the large gap between theoretical analyses and empirical applications. If no direct link is established between a theoretical model and its empirical specification, the empirical results cannot, validate the model. This paper develops a version of the human capital model of migration which permits empirical specification. The human capital model presented incorporates two important concepts from migration theory: (1) an index of characteristics that uniquely define a specific location; and (2) location-specific human capital. The empirical model is estimated with a data set consisting of a number of cases from the Michigan Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) survey.

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Dierx, A.H. Estimation of a human capital model of migration. Ann Reg Sci 22, 99–110 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01283655

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