Volume 30, Number 3 (Summer) 1995
Gabriel, Paul E., and Susanne Schmitz. 1995. "Favorable Self-Selection and the Internal Migration of Young White Males in the United States." Journal of Human Resources 30(3):460-471.
This study offers an alternative empirical technique to test whether the favorable self-selection hypothesis applies to internal migrants in the United States. Our empirical specification attempts to determine if prospective migrants possess unobserved traits such as higher ability or motivation which influence their earnings potential relative to nonmigrants. Using NLSY data for 1985 through 1991, we find some support for the favorable self-selection hypothesis for white males who move from one SMSA to another. Prior to their move, prospective migrants enjoy a consistent advantage in annual wage salary income relative to nonmigrants with similar earnings-related characteristics.
Paul E. Gabriel is an assistant professor of economics at Loyola University, Chicago. Suzanne Schmitz is an assistant professor of economics at Elmhurst College. They are grateful for the helpful comments and suggestions by the referees on an earlier draft of this paper. The data used in this article can be obtained beginning December 1995 through December 1998 from Paul E. Gabriel: Department of economics, Loyola University Chicago, 820 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611.
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