SMU SOE Seminar Series (March 1, 2024): Floating Population: Migration with(out) Family and the Spatial Distribution of Economic Activity

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ABSTRACT This paper argues that migrants’ decision to bring their dependent family members shapes their consumption behavior, their choice of destination, and their sensitivity to migration barriers. We develop and estimate, using Chinese data, a quantitative general equilibrium spatial model in which rural workers choose whether, how (with or without their family), where to migrate, and how to allocate their consumption across space. The model rationalizes the empirical evidence: Rural migrants disproportionately move to expensive, unwelcoming cities, live without their family, and remit substantially. We quantify the role of migration frictions (e.g., hukou policies) in explaining these patterns and show that, by changing the relative value of consumption across space, they contribute to the rise of non-family migration and to the emergence of mega-cities. Keywords: Migration, remittances, economic geography, spatial equilibrium. JEL Codes: R12, J61, O15. Click here to view the CV. Click here to view the paper.
		PRESENTER Joan Monras Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
		RESEARCH FIELDS Labor Economics Urban Economics International Trade
		DATE: 1 March 2024 (Friday)
		TIME: 4pm - 5.30pm
		VENUE: Meeting Room 5.1, Level 5 School of Economics Singapore Management University 90 Stamford Road Singapore 178903