Crossing Frozen Ground: Tiebout, local public goods, place amenities, and rural-to-rural migration in the Arctic

Abstract

We estimate the effect of place amenities on rural-to-rural migration decisions for Iñupiat people living in remote Arctic Alaska communities. Using US Census microdata, we test Tiebout's (1956) hypothesis that “people vote with their feet” by examining how migration responds to local public good provision in Arctic places. We find that local public goods are an important determinant of rural-to-rural migration for people living in remote Arctic communities. Better educational opportunities, availability of housing, and modern water and sewer systems serve as important pull factors in rural-to-rural migration decisions. The study uniquely contributes findings for Indigenous people living in remote Arctic regions to the literature on amenity migration.