Cultural diversity and cultural distance as choice determinants of migration destination

Konferenzbeitrag

This study analyses the impact of cultural composition on regional attractiveness from the perspective of migrant sorting behaviour. We use an attitudinal survey to quantify cultural distances between natives and immigrants in the area concerned, and estimate the migrants' varying preferences for both cultural diversity and cultural distance. To account for regional unobserved heterogeneity, our econometric analysis employs artificial instrumental variables, as developed by Bayer et al. (2004a). The main conclusions are twofold. On the one hand, cultural diversity increases regional attractiveness. On the other hand, average cultural distance greatly weakens regional attractiveness, even when the presence of network effect is controlled for.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: 54th Congress of the European Regional Science Association: "Regional development & globalisation: Best practices", 26-29 August 2014, St. Petersburg, Russia

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics: Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population; Neighborhood Characteristics
• Subject: migration ; cultural diversity ; cultural distance ; destination choice ; sorting

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Wang, Zhiling ; de Graaff, Thomas ; Nijkamp, Peter
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): European Regional Science Association (ERSA)
• (where): Louvain-la-Neuve
• (when): 2014

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/124457
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET