Repeat Migration, Information Costs, and Location-Specific Capital

by Julie DaVanzo

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It is well known from previous research that recent migrants often migrate again. This paper seeks to illuminate several possible mechanisms that might give rise to this association. The effect of previous migration on subsequent migration appears to be largely due to the fact that the consequences of one move often become the cause of the next and that people tend to return to places they recently left. The concepts of location specific capital (assets that are more valuable in their current location than they would be elsewhere) and information costs (qualitative and quantitative sources of information) provide powerful explanations for the patterns of multiple movement disclosed in the longitudinal data used in this study.

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