John Gardner on ‘Intergenerational altruism: Evidence from the African American Great Migration’ online in the Journal of Population Economics

Posted on July 4, 2019 by admin

Intergenerational altruism explains between 24 and 42% of the Northward migration!

Read more in:

John Gardner: Intergenerational altruism in the migration decision calculus: evidence from the African American Great Migration, forthcoming in the Journal of Population Economics.

See Online First on the Journal website.

GLO Fellow John Gardner

Author Abstract: It is widely believed that many migrations are undertaken at least in part for the benefit of future generations. To provide evidence on the effect of intergenerational altruism on migration, I estimate a dynamic residential location choice model of the African American Great Migration in which individuals take the welfare of future generations into account when deciding to remain in the Southern USA or migrate to the North. I measure the influence of altruism on the migration decision as the implied difference between the migration probabilities of altruistic individuals and myopic ones who consider only current-generation utility when making their location decisions. My preferred estimates suggest that intergenerational altruism explains between 24 and 42% of the Northward migration that took place during the period that I study, depending on the generation.

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Anti-Minaret Votes and Migrants’ Location Choices in Switzerland – New Research Findings Published in the Journal of Population Economics

Posted on July 3, 2019 by admin

A recent GLO Discussion Paper explores the vote on the Swiss minaret initiative in 2009 as a natural experiment to identify the effect of newly revealed reservations towards immigrants on their location choices. The research finds that the probability of  immigrants to relocate to  a municipality that unexpectedly revealed stronger negative attitudes towards them is significantly reduced in the time after the vote. The effect seems to apply to all immigrant groups – Muslim, non-European and European -, and to be stronger for high-skilled immigrants. The paper is now published in the Journal of Population Economics and available online. See also below.

GLO Discussion Paper of the Month of January 2019 published in the Journal of Population Economics, July 2019, Volume 32, Issue 3, pp 1043–1095!

See online on the Journal website.

GLO Discussion Paper No. 305, 2019.

The Deterrent Effect of an Anti-Minaret Vote on Foreigners’ Location Choices – Download PDF
by Slotwinski, Michaela & Stutzer, Alois

GLO Fellows Michaela Slotwinski & Alois Stutzer

Abstract: In a national ballot in 2009, Swiss citizens surprisingly approved an amendment to the Swiss constitution to ban the further construction of minarets. The ballot outcome manifested reservations and anti-immigrant attitudes in regions of Switzerland which had previously been hidden. We exploit this fact as a natural experiment to identify the causal effect of negative attitudes towards immigrants on foreigners’ location choices and thus indirectly on their utility. Based on a regression discontinuity design with unknown discontinuity points and administrative data on the population of foreigners, we find that the probability of their moving to a municipality which unexpectedly expressed stronger reservations decreases initially by about 40 percent. The effect is accompanied by a drop of housing prices in these municipalities and levels off over a period of about 5 months. Moreover, foreigners in high-skill occupations react relatively more strongly highlighting a tension when countries try to attract well-educated professionals from abroad.

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Return migrants transfer social norms: Evidence on female genital mutilation in Mali just published in the Journal of Population Economics

Posted on July 1, 2019 by admin

A recent GLO Discussion Paper found that girls living in localities with return migrants in Mali are less likely to be circumcised. This effect is driven mainly by the returnees from Côte d’Ivoire, suggesting that, in addition to punitive action against those who practice Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or information campaigns, having lived in an African country where FGM practice is not customary is equally influential. This is evidence for the relevance of social remittances through return migration here by improving social norms. The paper is now accepted for publication in the Journal of Population Economics and already available online. See also below.

GLO Discussion Paper of the Month of March 2019 now forthcoming in the Journal of Population Economics!

See online on the Journal website.

GLO Discussion Paper No. 329, 2019.

Female genital mutilation and migration in Mali. Do return migrants transfer social norms? – Download PDF
by Diabate, Idrissa & Mesplé-Somps, Sandrine

GLO Fellow Sandrine Mesplé-Somps.

Abstract:   In this paper, we investigate the power of migration as a mechanism in the transmission of social norms, taking Mali and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as a case study. Mali has a strong FGM culture and a long-standing history of migration. We use an original household-level database coupled with census data to analyze the extent to which girls living in localities with high rates of return migrants are less prone to FGM. Malians migrate predominantly to other African countries where female circumcision is uncommon (e.g. Côte d’Ivoire) and to countries where FGM is totally banned (France and other developed countries) and where anti-FGM information campaigns frequently target African migrants. Taking a two-step instrumental variable approach to control for the endogeneity of migration and return decisions, we show that return migrants have a negative and significant influence on FGM practices. More precisely, we show that this result is primarily driven by the flow of returnees from Cote d’Ivoire. We also show that adults living in localities with return migrants are more informed about FGM and in favor of legislation. The impact of returnees may occur through several channels, including compositional effects, changes in return migrants’ attitudes toward FGM, and return migrants convincing stayers to change their FGM practices.

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Leaving Budapest.

Posted on June 30, 2019 by admin

Over April – June 2019, Klaus F. Zimmermann has been George Soros Visiting Chair Professor at the School of Public Policy of the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest. On June 28, he terminated this engagement and returned to the headquarters of the Global Labor Organization (GLO) in Bonn, Germany, which he leads as the President. Currently, “History destroys many dreams we had affiliated with Budapest in the past; this is indeed a sad experience. But I enjoyed this great city and its people during my term.”

  • Farewell reflections
  • # I stand with CEU
  • Farewell Lunch with RA Svetlin Iliev
  • A flying carpet

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Rwanda Post Conference Impressions: Touring the Country

Posted on June 30, 2019 by admin

June 12-14, 2019, Kigali, Rwanda. GLO Fellows provided a number of keynote lectures at the international conference on “Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation” organized at the College of Business and Economics, University of Rwanda and the Hotel Nobleza. More conference details.

After the conference on June 15 – 16, the core team was visiting in an intensive tour the Kings Palace Rwanda and the Nyungwe Forest National Park. The tour participants were Manfred Fischedick (Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment & Energy, Germany, and GLO), Hans Lööf (Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, and GLO), Johnson Bosco Rukundo (Jönköping University, Sweden), Pär Sjölander (Gothenburg University, Sweden), and Klaus F. Zimmermann (Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, and President, GLO, Bonn, Germany) lead byLars Hartvigson (Jönköping University, Sweden, and GLO).

From upper left: Lööf, Rukundo, Fischedick, Sjölander, Hartvigson, Zimmermann

On the road….

Kings Palace…

Nyungwe Forest National Park
“To get a real sense of the scale of Nyungwe,” we tried “East Africa’s highest canopy walk with a metal bridge suspended 50 metres above the forest.” Indeed, “the views of Nyungwe sprawled out below the bridge are unforgettable.” (See also for further reference.)

Hiking in the Nyungwe Forest National Park

Within a local hotel: Sleeping houses uphill, reception downhill, tent houses to the right, campfire next to the bar, farewell.

In the far: Large refugee camp. And we saw massive Rwandian army protecting the border.

#396274
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Kigali Conference Impressions: Hotel Nobleza, After the Hour

Posted on June 29, 2019 by admin

June 12-14, 2019, Kigali, Rwanda. Keynote lecture at the international conference on “Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation” organized at the College of Business and Economics, University of Rwanda and the Hotel Nobleza. More conference details.

Hotel Nobleza Nightlife

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German “Mittelstand”: An antithesis to Silicon Valley entrepreneurship? Insights by Friederike Welter & André Pahnke

Posted on June 29, 2019 by admin

Some perceive the German Mittelstand as a low growth, low-tech and non-innovative approach while in contrast the Silicon Valley entrepreneurship is regarded as the salvation for a doomed German economy. Is German type family business at the end? In their GLO Research for Policy Note No. 2, GLO Fellow Friederike Welter & André Pahnke argue that research and policy debates should avoid dichotomies such as “Mittelstand versus Silicon Valley entrepreneurship” and instead acknowledge the vibrant diversity and heterogeneity of entrepreneurship.

Recommended Readings:

Friederike Welter & André Pahnke (2019): The German Mittelstand: an antithesis to Silicon Valley entrepreneurship?, GLO Research for Policy Note No. 2.

Pahnke, A.; Welter, F. (2019): The German Mittelstand: antithesis to Silicon Valley entrepreneurship?, Small Business Economics,  52 (2), 345-358.

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Kigali, University of Rwanda & Hotel Nobleza hosted high-profile conference in economics and business with key participation of distinguished GLO speekers.

Posted on June 28, 2019 by admin

On June 12-14, 2019, in Kigali, Rwanda, at the College of Business and Economics, University of Rwanda and the Hotel Nobleza, GLO Fellows Manfred Fischedick, Almas Heshmati, Hans Lööf and GLO President Klaus F. Zimmermann were among the invited speakers of an international conference on “Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation”. Almas Heshmati is the academic Lead of the GLO Research Cluster on “Labor Markets in Africa”. GLO Fellow Rama B. Rao , University of Rwanda, was the Chair of the Organizing Committee of the conference.
Examine the full program. MORE PICTURES.

GLO President Klaus F. Zimmermann (i) in front of the Nobleza conference center, (ii) after his keynote speech with university representative, (iii) in the bus with the core group, GLO Fellow Has Lööf, right, (iv) listening to the keynote of Manfred Fischedick, (v) plenary session, (vi) with GLO Fellow Almas Heshmati, (vii) and (viii) with excited speakers and some participants of the sessions he chaired.

Keynote speakers and key organizers (from the right): Rama B. Rao (University of Rwanda and GLO), Manfred Fischedick (Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment & Energy, Germany, and GLO), Hans Lööf (Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, and GLO), Benson Honig (McMaster University), Faustin Gasheja (Principal, College of Business and Economics, University of Rwanda ), Almas Heshmati (Jönköping International Business School, Sweden, and GLO), and Klaus F. Zimmermann (Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, and President, GLO, Bonn, Germany).

KEYNOTE SPEECHES

  • Klaus F. Zimmermann: The Value of Global Labor Mobility
  • Manfred Fischedick: Climate Change and Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation
  • Hans Lööf: Knowledge Spillover, Innovation and Exporting
  • Almas Heshmati: Sustainable Development in Rwanda
  • Benson Honig: Researching the “other”: Successful Approaches and Ongoing Challenges Toward Generalizability

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New research from the GLO network: Childcare in Vietnam – how Asian females perform in the labor market. And free access to all GLO research papers from May 2019.

Posted on June 25, 2019 by admin

Accessible childcare services enhance women’s labor market performances and reduce gender gaps, now supported by research for Vietnam. The GLO Discussion Paper of the Month of May 2019  explores the relationship between the use and availability of childcare and maternal employment in the context of this emerging Asian country.

GLO Discussion Papers are research and policy papers of the GLO Network which are widely circulated to encourage discussion. Provided in cooperation with EconStor, a service of the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, GLO Discussion Papers are among others listed in RePEc (see IDEAS, EconPapers). Complete list of all GLO DPs downloadable for free.

GLO Discussion Paper of the Month: May

GLO Discussion Paper No. 349 Childcare and Maternal Employment: Evidence from Vietnam – Download PDF
by Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Hiraga, Masako & Nguyen, Cuong Viet

GLO Fellow Hai-Anh Dang

Abstract:   Little literature currently exists on the effects of childcare use on maternal labor market outcomes in a developing country context, and recent studies offer mixed results. We attempt to fill this gap by analyzing several of the latest rounds of the Vietnam Household Living Standards Survey spanning the early to mid-2010s. Addressing endogeneity issues with a regression discontinuity estimator based on children’s birth months, we find a sizable effect of childcare attendance on women’s labor market outcomes, including their total annual wages, household income, and poverty status. The effects of childcare attendance differ by women’s characteristics and are particularly strong for younger, more educated women. Furthermore, childcare has a medium-term effect and positively impacts men’s labor market outcomes as well.

GLO Discussion Papers of May 2019

353 The Effect of 9/11 on Immigrants’ Ethnic Identity and Employment: Evidence from Germany – Download PDF
by Delaporte, Isaure

352 The effect of immigration on natives’ well-being in the European union   – Download PDF
by O’Connor, Kelsey J.

351 Who is in favor of immigration – Download PDF
by Epstein, Gil S. & Katav-Herz, Shirit

350 The Immigrant-Native Wage Gap in Germany Revisited – Download PDF
by Ingwersen, Kai & Thomsen, Stephan L.

349 Childcare and Maternal Employment: Evidence from Vietnam – Download PDF
by Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Hiraga, Masako & Nguyen, Cuong Viet

348 Employment Effects of Offshore Oil and Gas Regulations – Download PDF
by Payson, Steven & Sloboda, Brian W.

347 Works Councils and Organizational Gender Policies in Germany – Download PDF
by Jirjahn, Uwe & Mohrenweiser, Jens

346 The Effect of Education on Health: Evidence from the 1997 Compulsory Schooling Reform in Turkey – Download PDF
by Baltagi, Badi H. & Flores-Lagunes, Alfonso & Karatas, Haci M.

345 Ethnic Identity and the Employment Outcomes of Immigrants: Evidence from France – Download PDF
by Delaporte, Isaure

GLO DP Team
Senior Editors: Matloob Piracha (University of Kent) & GLO; Klaus F. Zimmermann (UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University and Bonn University).
Managing Editor: Magdalena Ulceluse, University of Groningen. DP@glabor.org  

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From walls to seawalls: Climate change is predicted to redesign the game of walls worldwide.

Posted on June 24, 2019 by admin

The United States is still debating its wall with Mexico. As Victoria Vernon & Klaus F. Zimmermann have documented, building walls between countries has become fashion over recent decades signalling the widespread rising fears about globalization. The number of walls have increased from under 10 to nearly 80 within half of a century.

GLO Discussion Paper No. 330, 2019. Walls and Fences: A Journey Through History and Economics – Download PDF
by Vernon, Victoria & Zimmermann, Klaus F.

Now climate change may bring a dramatic shift into the game of walls: “Even though estimates about rising sea levels vary, the Center for Climate Integrity has published an analysis which estimates that the U.S. will have to invest $416 billion in constructing seawalls between now and 2040. At state level, Florida is expected to have to spend $76 billion on seawalls over the next two decades with while Louisiana will have the second-highest bill at $38 billion. ” (statista, see also chart below.)

Will climate change soon replace our fears about migration? Surely not, since forced mass migration is already predicted around the world as a consequence of rising sea levels.

A recent novel has thought the (our?) story to the end:

John Lanchester: The Wall, Faber & Faber, Ltd. London, 2019.

After the change, Britain is surrounded by a wall facing endless water. The Young have to serve on the wall as Defenders to kill the Others as soon as they attack as boat people to invade the island. Shooting climate refugees is a daily business. A brutal, if not boring exercise where some Defenders are forced to become Others and are lost on the sea, with a surviving couple left alone with their love.

More statista details for an analysis behind the figure.

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