Population Migration

Question 1

Outline (according to Clemens (2011) and Clemens (2022)) the 4 big questions related to emigration.

Answer 1

1. What are the external effects of (especially skilled) emigrants’ departure on non-emigrants?

A: the effect of lost skilled workers is that the productivity will fall for the remaining workforce in the origin country, called Brain drain.
However this effect is considered small.

2. What is the elasticity of labor demand in the origin and destination countries?

A: High elasticity means that small changes in wages lead to large changes in employment, which is crucial for understanding the labor market impacts of emigration.

3. How much of international differences in productivity depend on workers’ inherent traits— and how much depends on their surroundings when they migrate?
4. What is the potential level of emigration that can be achieved in the future, taking into account the existing barriers and constraints?