August 2004

IZA DP No. 1244: The Influence of Others on Migration Plans

published in: Review of Development Economics, 2006, 10 (4), 652 - 665

The willingness to migrate and locational choice may be influenced by others’ choices or plans, particularly if the “other people”, such as family and friends, are migrants, former migrants, or potential migrants themselves. We examine the roles “other people” play in influencing an individual’s potential migration decision. In analyzing the influence of others on migration decisions, we rely on the concepts of migration networks and herd effects.