GEP Research Paper 08/11
Are Ethnic Minorities More Likely to Emigrate? Evidence from Latvia
Artjoms Ivlevs
Summary
Using survey data on emigration intentions in Latvia, the paper shows that Russian speaking minority individuals are more likely to go working abroad than ethnic Latvians.
Abstract
Drawing on survey data on emigration intentions in Latvia, this paper studies emigration intentions of minorities. The paper shows, that after controlling for other factors, the probability of emigration of a Russian minority individual is higher than that of a majority individual. For Russian speakers, higher education and income levels are associated with higher probability of emigration. These findings can be explained by linguistic discrimination on the labour market and inefficient minority integration policies, such as minority education reform.
Issued in March 2008
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