Is Welfare a Magnet for Migration? Examining Universal Welfare Institutions and Migration Flows

Abstract

AbstractThis study extends macro-structural research on international migration flows by going beyond conventional economic, demographic, and geographic explanations. Prior extensions suggest that migrants are drawn to places where welfare benefits are generous. I test the welfare magnet hypothesis while proposing an alternative explanation for migration: the prospect for inclusion. The analysis uses a comprehensive point-to-point migration dataset for a sample of robust welfare states, the universalist countries of Nordic Europe, and similarly positioned destinations representing other welfare types to examine destinations’ commitments to inclusion, humanitarianism, and welfare generosity. Results reveal no evidence for a magnet effect to the most generous welfare states in the world net of other recognized factors, and even suggest a negative influence linked to the region’s high cost of living. Migrants are instead drawn by the promise of social and political inclusion, migrating to destinations where co-ethnics have become full-fledged citizens. Additional evidence points to the role of international commitments to humanitarianism in augmenting flows. Findings integrate insights on contexts of immigrant reception with research on migration flows, thus contributing to a political sociology of immigration and citizenship and opening new avenues for research on the determinants of migration to newer, more distant locations.