2023/12/14 by Joshua E Blumenstock, Joshua Blumenstock, Guanghua Chi +1 · 97 citations
Social Sciences · #Computer science #Economics #Human Mobility and Location-Based Analysis #Machine learning #Macroeconomics #Microeconomics #Migration and Labor Dynamics #Set (abstract data type) #Social capital #Social media #Social network (sociolinguistics) #Sociology #Stylized fact #TRACE (psycholinguistics) #Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies #Value (mathematics) #World Wide Web
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/restud/rdad113
published in The Review of Economic Studies 92(1), 97-128 (Oxford University Press)
openalex publication_date 2023/12/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Abstract How do social networks influence the decision to migrate? Prior work suggests two distinct mechanisms that have historically been difficult to differentiate: as a conduit of information, and as a source of social and economic support. We disentangle these mechanisms using a massive “digital trace” dataset that allows us to observe the migration decisions made by millions of individuals over several years, as well as the complete social network of each person in the months before and after migration. These data allow us to establish a new set of stylized facts about the relationship between social networks and migration. Our main analysis indicates that the average migrant derives more social capital from “interconnected” networks that provide social support than from “extensive” networks that efficiently transmit information.