International migration, relative deprivation and cultural similarity

Chiara Strozzi, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Mariola Pytlikova, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava
Ennio Bilancini, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia

We investigate the relationship between international migration and the feeling of relative deprivation using macro-level data on migration flows among a large number of countries. Besides providing a test for relative deprivation as both a push and pull factor, our novel contribution lies in explicitly considering the fact that relative deprivation is felt more intensely with regards to culturally similar individuals. Hence, if on the one hand low-income migrants who feel relatively deprived in their origin country are more likely to move to a country where wages are higher, on the other hand the same migrants have an incentive to migrate to culturally dissimilar countries as this helps to feel less intensely deprived.