Abstract
This paper contributes to the immigration literature by generating two unique non-economic quality of life (QOL) indices and
testing their role on recent migration patterns. Applying the generated QOL indices in conjunction with four independent welfare
measures to an augmented gravity model of immigration, this paper finds an insignificant relationship between the six non-economic
QOL measures and immigration flows for a panel of 16 OECD countries from 1991 to 2000. However, the results suggest that other
factors such as the stock of immigrants from the source country already living in the OECD destination country, population
size, relative incomes, and geographic factors all significantly drive the flow of immigration for the sample tested.
testing their role on recent migration patterns. Applying the generated QOL indices in conjunction with four independent welfare
measures to an augmented gravity model of immigration, this paper finds an insignificant relationship between the six non-economic
QOL measures and immigration flows for a panel of 16 OECD countries from 1991 to 2000. However, the results suggest that other
factors such as the stock of immigrants from the source country already living in the OECD destination country, population
size, relative incomes, and geographic factors all significantly drive the flow of immigration for the sample tested.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-15
- DOI 10.1007/s11205-011-9924-4
- Authors
- Gail Anne Pacheco, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
- Stephanie Rossouw, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
- Joshua Lewer, Bradley University and IZA, Peoria, IL, USA
- Journal Social Indicators Research
- Online ISSN 1573-0921
- Print ISSN 0303-8300