Volume 15, Number 4 (Fall) 1980
Keeley, Michael C. 1980. "The Effect of a Negative Income Tax on Migration." Journal of Human Resources 15(4):695-706.
This paper presents an analysis of the impact of a negative income tax (NIT) program on the destination choices, labor market behavior, and experiences of migrants at their destination. The empirical results, based on data from Seattle and Denver Income Maintenance Experiments, are broadly consistent with a consumption model of migration. This model suggests that an NIT would (1) increase the rate of migration, (2) induce people to move to locations with better environments, and (3) induce persons to reduce their hours of work.
The author is an economist with SRI International. The research reported herein was performed pursuant to contracts with the States of Washington and Colorado, prime contractors for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare under contract numbers HEW-100-78-0005 and HEW-100-78-0004, respectively. The opinions expressed in the paper are those of the authors and should not be construed as representing the opinions or policies of the States of Washington and Colorado or any agency of the United States government. V. Christine Austermann, Angela Britton, William Chan, and Karen Wakabayashi provided valuable programming and research assistance. Terry Johnson, John Pencavel, Philip Robins, Robert Spiegelman, Richard West, and Kathryn Yaeger provided useful comments on earlier versions of this paper. As usual, only the author should be held responsible for the views presented and any remaining errors.
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