World Development
Volume 65, 2015, Pages 79-93

Miserable migrants? Natural experiment evidence on international migration and objective and subjective well-being (Article)

Stillman S. , Gibson J. , McKenzie D. , Rohorua H.
  • a University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
  • b University of Waikato, New Zealand
  • c World Bank, Washington, United States
  • d University of Waikato, New Zealand

Abstract

We compare successful and unsuccessful applicants to a migration lottery in order to examine the impact of migration on objective and subjective well-being. The results show that international migration brings large improvements in objective well-being. Impacts on subjective well-being are complex, with mental health improving but happiness declining, self-rated welfare rising if viewed retrospectively but static if viewed experimentally, self-rated social respect rising retrospectively but falling experimentally and subjective income adequacy rising. We further show that these changes would not be predicted from cross-sectional regressions on the correlates of subjective well-being in either Tonga or New Zealand. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Author Keywords

Natural experiment Pacific islands Lottery Immigration Tonga Subjective well-being

Index Keywords

international migration New Zealand Tonga regression analysis cross section migrants experience mental health immigration
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84910659006&doi=10.1016%2fj.worlddev.2013.07.003&partnerID=40&md5=9b3b829cf96c8d9aee768f5939d69068
DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.07.003
ISSN: 0305750X
Cited by: 33
Original Language: English