Preferences for Redistribution and International Migration

Konferenzbeitrag

Are migrants self-selected and sorted according to their views about what constitutes a fair level of redistribution? A major challenge in answering this question is that fairness concerns and self-interest are intertwined. We present a theoretical framework that allows us to test whether migrants self-select and sort themselves according to fairness concerns, in addition to financial self-interest. Our empirical analysis uses our own survey data on Danish emigrants to various destinations, combined with full-population administrative data and survey data on Danes living in Denmark. To exclude the role of financial self-interest, we focus on emigrants' attitudes towards redistribution in Denmark where they no longer pay taxes or receive transfers. We find strong support for the hypothesis that migrants self-select and sort themselves according to their views about what constitutes a fair level of redistribution among men, but not among women: the majority of men who emigrate are more negative towards redistribution in Denmark than non-migrants, while the opposite pattern prevails among women. The stark gender difference remains when solely looking at those who emigrated for work reasons.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Beiträge zur Jahrestagung des Vereins für Socialpolitik 2020: Gender Economics

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; International Migration
• Subject: Migration ; Emigration ; Welfare state ; Redistribution ; Political preferences

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Kauppinen, Ilpo ; Poutvaara, Panu
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics
• (where): Kiel, Hamburg
• (when): 2020

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/224599
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET