Push and Pull Factors of Latin American Migration

Abstract

Migratory flows from Latin America to Spain experienced a dramatic increase since the late nineties, followed by a period of expansion and diversification of the origins. Recently, a decline in the flows and an increase in return migration has been recorded. Literature has pointed out the existence of intense forces driving the emergence and expansion of this migration system. On the one side, (i) the Spanish economic growth, (ii) the arrival at young adult ages of small Spanish cohorts and the upwards mobility of Spanish females, and (iii) the immigration policy, specially favorable to the settlement of the Latin American population, are commonly quoted as some of the main pull factors. On the other side, push factors as (i) the relative income differentials and several economic shocks in Latin American economies, (ii) the demographic structure with the concentration of individuals in young-adult ages, (iii) a labor market offering few opportunities, (iv) the educational expansion of this region are named as factors that together with demographic potential to migration might have contributed to the development of mobility. This chapter analyzes the characteristics of the recent Latin American migration into Spain by countries of origin, and its bilateral determinants.