Braving the Waves: The Role of Time and Risk Preferences in Illegal Migration from Senegal

31 Pages Posted: 23 Aug 2013

Abstract

This paper aims to provide the first evidence concerning the relationship between time and risk preferences and illegal migration in an African context. Based upon our theoretical model and using a unique data set on potential migrants collected in urban Senegal, we evaluate a measure of time and risk preferences through the individual's intertemporal discount rate and coefficient of absolute risk aversion. Remarkably, our results show that these individual preferences matter in the willingness to migrate illegally and to pay a smuggler.

Keywords: illegal migration, discount rate, risk aversion, Africa, Senegal

JEL Classification: F22, O15, O16, R23

Suggested Citation

Arcand, Jean-Louis and Mbaye, Linguère, Braving the Waves: The Role of Time and Risk Preferences in Illegal Migration from Senegal. IZA Discussion Paper No. 7517, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2314812 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2314812

Jean-Louis Arcand (Contact Author)

The Graduate Institute, Geneva ( email )

PO Box 136
Geneva, CH-1211
Switzerland

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