How does economic development in poor countries affect international migration? An apparently well-established ‘stylized fact’ suggests that the relationship between economic development and emigration follows an inverted U-shape pattern – i.e. emigration first increases and then decreases as a country experiences economic development. According to this “hump” interpretation, efforts to increase development in poor countries through development assistance by donor countries would eventually translate into more emigration, mainly by enabling a larger share of the population to finance the costs of emigration. Recent research has critically assessed and challenged this hump hypothesis, providing a more nuanced view about the role of development assistance in affecting individuals’ decisions to emigrate from low-income countries. This MPC Webinar brings together international scholars who have contributed to the growing academic debate about the existence and characteristics of the ‘migration hump’, with a view to comparing the latest research findings and discussing their potential implications for policy debates.

The link to the webinar will be provided following registration.

More information on the webinar here.