Title: Does migration lead to regional convergence in Russia?

Authors: Elena Vakulenko

Addresses: National Research University Higher School of Economics, Myasnitskaya 20, 101000 Moscow, Russia

Abstract: We analyse the impact of migration on wage, income and the unemployment rate. Using the official Russian statistical database from 1995 to 2010, we calculate a dynamic panel data model with spatial effects. There is a positive spatial effect for wage, income and unemployment rate. There is no significant impact of migration on the unemployment rate. We find a negative relationship between net internal migration and both wages and income, which is explained by the positive effect of emigration and negative effect of immigration for income. However, the migration benefits are not big enough to make a difference on the Gini index across regions. We conclude that migration does not affect the regional σ-convergence of economic indicators.

Keywords: migration impact; wages; income; unemployment rate; spatial dynamics; panel data models; Russia; immigrants; regional convergence; internal migration; emigration; economic indicators.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEPEE.2016.074943

International Journal of Economic Policy in Emerging Economies, 2016 Vol.9 No.1, pp.1 - 25

Received: 25 Feb 2014
Accepted: 27 May 2014
Published online: 25 Feb 2016 *

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