The international-migration network

Arbeitspapier

This paper studies international migration from a complex-network perspective. We define the international-migration network (IMN) as the weighted-directed graph where nodes are world countries and links account for the stock of migrants originated in a given country and living in another country at a given point in time. We characterize the binary and weighted architecture of the network and its evolution over time in the period 1960-2000. We find that the IMN is organized around a modular structure characterized by a small-world pattern displaying disassortativity and high clustering, with power-law distributed weighted-network statistics. We also show that a parsimonious gravity model of migration can account for most of observed IMN topological structure. Overall, our results suggest that socio-economic, geographical and political factors are more important than local-network properties in shaping the structure of the IMN.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: LEM Working Paper Series ; No. 2012/23

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration ; International Migration
• Subject: Migration ; Complex Networks ; International Migration Network ; Community Detection ; Gravity Models ; Internationale Wanderung ; Internationale Wirtschaftsbeziehungen ; Netzwerk ; Welt

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Fagiolo, Giorgio ; Mastrorillo, Marina
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM)
• (where): Pisa
• (when): 2012

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/89534
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:45 AM CET