The Impact of Individual Factors on Migration (PDF)

Academic Paper from the year 2023 in the subject History - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,0, University of Tubingen, language: English, abstract: In a comparison of Mexican migrants and migrants in Tanzania, this paper poses the question of what individual factors matter in the decision to migrate. So far, research has emphasized the importance of education, gender and age in the decision to migrate and in the migrant's economic success. In an analysis of individual factor variables in the migration decision, the impact of education, gender and age are examined. Extending these observations, this paper highlights the importance of the socioeconomic context to understand migratory behavior. When comparing migrants in Tanzania and in Mexico, they are similar in their movement towards better-off, higher wage areas. Furthermore, differences in migratory behavior in respect to education, gender and age appear to be linked to the socioeconomic setting. Although returns to migration are substantial, barriers to migration consistent of economic as well as societal restrictions play a big role in the migration decision and hinder many from migrating. Models of migration that have focused on economic factors alone did not fully explain migratory behavior.