Socioeconomic and demographic determinants of migration in Brazilian municipalities: 2000-2010

Abstract

Brazilian economic transformations are responsible for the dynamics of the population of its territory. There are many studies that attribute a substantial part of migration decisions to the labor market, without, however, considering other possible determinants. In this sense, this paper aims to analyze the determinants of the Brazilian migratory dynamics, considering multiple dimensions of analysis. Literature is reviewed and empirical treatment is given by the construction of the Migration Effectiveness Index (MEI) and the use of fixed effects panel data models, with municipalities as units of analysis. The results show that labor market variables, such as occupation, work in industry, commerce and services, explain to a greater extent the participation of migrants in the municipalities of the country. Regarding emigration, it is the negative effects of these variables that motivate people to leave their municipality. In this sense, it is, therefore, the labor market that shows the greatest relation with the migratory dynamics in Brazil.