Migration and human capital in Brazil during the 1990s

This paper bases its arguments around the dynamics of Migration in Brazil, which historically, has been a mechanism for adjustment to disequilibria. The authors profiles migrants from the North East and South East of Brazil, and draws comparisons between the two groups.

The main findings of this paper reveal that

• predicted returns to migration increase with education for SE-NE migrants and decreasefor NE-SE migrants.
• also, returns to migration are seen to be decreasing for NE-SE migrants and increasing for SE-NE migrants between 1995 and 1999 which uncovers some of the issues surrounding migration dynamics in Brazil.
• the predicted positive returns to migration for NE - SE migrants indicate that NE-SE migration follows in general the human capital approach to migration, the estimated lower returns to migration for SE-NE may indicate that non-monetary factors also play a role in SE-NE migration.

[adapted from author]