Who Crossed the Border? Self-Selection of Mexican Migrants in the Early Twentieth Century

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Economic History
Year: 2014
Volume: 74
Issue: 4
Pages: 1015-1044

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We estimate the self-selection of Mexican migrants into and out of the United States in the 1920s. Officials recorded migrant height on border crossing manifests, which we use to proxy migrant quality and to measure self-selection into migration in 1920. Migrants were positively selected on height compared to the Mexican population. We link these migrants to the 1930 U.S. and Mexican censuses to obtain samples of permanent and return migrants and to estimate the selection into return migration. Return migrants were not differentially self-selected on height relative to permanent migrants.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:cup:jechis:v:74:y:2014:i:04:p:1015-1044_00
Journal Field
Economic History
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25