Migration and Technology Diffusion

The observed large differences in incomes and living conditions across the world are largely attributable to technology differences. The project aims to provide causal evidence on whether migration, particularly the migration of high skilled individuals, affects the pace and intensity of technology adoption. We first propose to compile a novel data set comprising rich information on technology adoption and bilateral migration flows. Our methodology will then exploit abrupt increases in migration, which we term ‘migration surges’, in tandem with destination countries’ differing migration policies in order to pin down causal linkages.