The regional effects of international migration on internal migration decisions of tertiary-educated workers

摘要

This study is a departure from the classic analysis of the effect of international migration on human capital. Using original data from a nationally representative survey in Moldova, we employ discrete choice and count-data models to evaluate the effect of international migration on the likelihood that "left-behind" household members with tertiary education migrate domestically. Thus, we propose an original framework of identifying a causal relationship between international and internal migration. The main findings support the hypothesis that international migration leads to an increase in the preference for urban jobs of tertiary-educated left-behind household members with peripheral rural origins.