This paper details a theoretical framework to explain the impediments to
migration. The paper argues that actual migration as a household
livelihood strategy is impeded by the constraints imposed by the
households’ access to the institutions and the assets needed for
migration within the welfare pentagon(s) of the household. The Welfare
Pentagon embodies the five central institutions that households could
use to assuage needs in a given society (family, markets, social
networks, membership institutions and public authorities). Using data
from Albania and Moldova, we then test the model predictions
empirically. Utilizing a probit model for the decision to not migrate at
the household level, we find strong support for the Welfare Pentagon
framework. We find that having access to different parts of the Welfare
Pentagon makes a difference for migration. We find that particularly the
family, market and social network variables play a considerable role in
the possibility for migration.
Appears in: MGSoG Working Paper Series (discontinued)
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