Reversal of migration flows: A fresh look at the German reunification

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Grossmann, Volker; Schafer, Andreas; Steger, Thomas; Fuchs, Benjamin
• 署名单位: University of Fribourg; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; IZA Institute Labor Economics; University of London; University College London; University of Fribourg; Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain; ETH Zurich; Leipzig University; Leibniz Association; Leibniz Institut fur Wirtschaftsforschung Halle (IWH); University Hohenheim
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-1996
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jinteco.2017.05.006
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 1-15
• 关键词: Capital formation; German reunification; Housing services; Labor market integration; Reverse migration

摘要

We investigate the dynamic effects of interregional labor market integration on migration flows, capital formation, and the price for housing services. The co-evolution of these variables depends on initial conditions at the time of labor market integration. In an initially capital-poor economy, there may be a reversal of migration flows during the transition to the steady state, while housing costs are increasing over time. Although capital may accumulate while labor emigrates early in the transition, the causal effect of immigration on capital investments and housing costs is positive. We present new data on the evolution of net migration flows and rental rates for housing in East Germany after 1990. Our results are consistent with the presented evidence in the reverse migration scenario. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.