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Analysis of Migration, Regional Characteristics, and Socioeconomic Outcomes in Developing Economies: Empirical Evidence from Nigeria

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Abstract

Highly skilled migrants from Nigeria and other developing countries are becoming more attractive resources for industrial countries, as these countries experience demographic shifts characterized by skilled labor force shortages in certain sectors of their economies. Although there are a number of regional characteristics that may affect migration outcomes, in this paper, we also include individual-level factors in our analyses, such as education and age. Again, this paper also examines the issue of the North-South divide in poverty and other characteristics and how these affect migration. Furthermore, this paper also identifies which regional economic factors influence the individual’s migration decision, taking into account personal characteristics. For empirical analysis, we used data from the Nigerian Migration Survey by the World Bank. The micro data allow us to identify household factors that influence migration decisions. In doing this, we control for different individual propensities to migrate and also assess the genuine impact of regional economic factors on migration. The results show that individual, regional, and country-specific factors make significant impact on migration decisions and dynamics. The paper concludes that socioeconomic variables and personal characteristics are crucial for explaining the pattern of regional migration flows in Nigeria. Thus, migration policies have to be adopted that will emphasize the mutual links between migration and development across the different regions.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the funding received from the World Bank Project on African Migration

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nsukka, Nigeria

    Anthony Orji

  2. Institute of Development Studies, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria

    Chukwuma Agu

Authors
  1. Anthony Orji
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  2. Chukwuma Agu
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Correspondence to Anthony Orji.

Appendix

Appendix

Fig. 1
figure 1

Education in different regions

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Fig. 2
figure 2

Household migrant characteristics affect child education

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Orji, A., Agu, C. Analysis of Migration, Regional Characteristics, and Socioeconomic Outcomes in Developing Economies: Empirical Evidence from Nigeria. Int. Migration & Integration 19, 565–581 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-018-0541-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-018-0541-9

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