Journal Article
The Effect of Labor Migration on the Diffusion of Democracy: Evidence from a Former Soviet Republic
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 9(3): 36-69
Authors
Publication Date
DOI
JEL Classification
D72
D83
F22
P23
P26
Key Words
Related Topics
Europe
Economic & Financial Crises
Emerging Markets & Developing Countries
Equal Opportunities
International Finance
Migration contributes to the circulation of goods, knowledge, and ideas. Using community and individual-level data from Moldova, we show that the emigration episode that started in the late 1990s strongly affected political preferences and electoral outcomes in Moldova during the following decade and was eventually instrumental in bringing down the last ruling Communist government in Europe. Our results are suggestive of information transmission and cultural diffusion channels. Identification relies on the quasi-experimental context studied and on the differential effects arising from the fact that emigration was directed both to more democratic Western Europe and to less democratic Russia.
Keywords
