<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This article studies the role of rainfall in determining the education composition of Mexico-US migration. Emphasizing the relationship between rainfall and migration costs, a revised Roy model indicates that rainfall affects selection on education through not only households’ liquidity constraints but also the comparisons between changes in migration costs and wage differentials at different levels of education. With retrospective data on the migration history of male Mexicans, the empirical analysis shows that the inverted U-shaped relationship between migration probabilities and education is less dispersed with a higher vertex when rainfall decreases, suggesting higher migration costs and reinforced self-selection patterns. The impacts of rainfall on selection and education are stronger for the migrant stock than for migration flows. Studying how rainfall influences migrants’ return decisions provides consistent results.</p></abstract>

This article studies the role of rainfall in determining the education composition of Mexico-US migration. Emphasizing the relationship between rainfall and migration costs, a revised Roy model indicates that rainfall affects selection on education through not only households’ liquidity constraints but also the comparisons between changes in migration costs and wage differentials at different levels of education. With retrospective data on the migration history of male Mexicans, the empirical analysis shows that the inverted U-shaped relationship between migration probabilities and education is less dispersed with a higher vertex when rainfall decreases, suggesting higher migration costs and reinforced self-selection patterns. The impacts of rainfall on selection and education are stronger for the migrant stock than for migration flows. Studying how rainfall influences migrants’ return decisions provides consistent results.

Rainfall and self-selection patterns in Mexico-US migration

IZA Journal of Development and Migration

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Rainfall and self-selection patterns in Mexico-US migration"}

This article studies the role of rainfall in determining the education composition of Mexico-US migration. Emphasizing the relationship between rainfall and...

Rainfall and self-selection patterns in Mexico-US migration

Published Online: Dec 31, 2020

Page range: -

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/izajodm-2020-0022

Keywords
rainfall, migration selection, migration costs, schooling

© 2020 Shan Li, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Rainfall and self-selection patterns in Mexico-US migration

Published Online: Dec 31, 2020

Page range: -

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/izajodm-2020-0022

Keywordsrainfall, migration selection, migration costs, schooling

© 2020 Shan Li, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
rainfall, migration selection, migration costs, schooling