DP5891 Poverty Traps, Distance and Diversity: The Migration Connection

Author(s):	Jeffrey G Williamson
Publication Date:	October 2006
Keyword(s):	emigrant life cycle, ethnic diversity, migration
JEL(s):	J6, N3
Programme Areas:	International Trade and Regional Economics
Link to this Page:	cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=5891

Within-country ethnic diversity in high-wage immigrant nations is driven by long distance migration. This paper documents the migration-diversity connection for the first global century before 1914 and the second global century after 1950. It distinguishes between ethnic diversity among the foreign-born, between the foreign-born and nativeborn and for total populations using country-of-birth data. It exploits the polarization index made popular in the recent diversity-growth debate and exploits an emigration life cycle model to predict the connection. It also shows how policy matters.