Policy-Induced Internal Migration: An Empirical Investigation of the Canadian Case

47 Pages Posted: 15 Dec 2005

See all articles by Kathleen M. Day

Kathleen M. Day

University of Ottawa - Department of Economics

Stanley L. Winer

Carleton University - School of Public Policy and Administration; Carleton University-Department of Economics; CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Date Written: November 2005

Abstract

We investigate the influence of public policy on interprovincial migration in Canada using new aggregated migration data for 1974-1996, the longest period studied so far. We consider the consequences of regional variation in a variety of policies, and also investigate the effects of certain extraordinary events in Quebec and in the Atlantic provinces. The results indicate that while the changing bias in the unemployment insurance system may have induced some people to move to the relatively high unemployment Atlantic region, the resulting flows are likely too small to have altered regional unemployment rates. In contrast, political events in Quebec in the 1970's and the closing of the cod fishery in 1992 appear to be associated with large changes in migration patterns.

Keywords: migration, regional disparity, public policy, unemployment insurance, conditional logit, taxation data

JEL Classification: H0, H7, J41, J65, R23, R58

Suggested Citation

Day, Kathleen M. and Winer, Stanley L., Policy-Induced Internal Migration: An Empirical Investigation of the Canadian Case (November 2005). CESifo Working Paper Series No. 1605, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=870392 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.870392

Kathleen M. Day

University of Ottawa - Department of Economics ( email )

200 Wilbrod Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5
Canada

Stanley L. Winer (Contact Author)

Carleton University - School of Public Policy and Administration ( email )

1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1S5B6
Canada
613-224-1274 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.carleton.ca/winer

Carleton University-Department of Economics ( email )

1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1S5B6
Canada
613-224-1274 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.carleton.ca/winer

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

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