Rückwanderung, Selbstselektion und Lohnverteilungen: Empirische Evidenz für Einwanderer in Deutschland (Diplom)

Abstract

This thesis examines self-selection mechanisms regarding the return migration decision of immigrants as well as the influence of both these mechanisms and cohort effects on cross-sectional wage assimilation measures using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) from 1984 to 2007. In contrast to former empirical studies assimilation patterns are not solely investigated in a cross-sectional framework, but a cohort model is estimated which corrects for potential estimation biases arising in cross-sectional analyses. Furthermore, return migrants are not identified by means of their expected duration of stay in Germany but by the fact that they actually reemigrated. The empirical findings of the cross-sectional analysis indicate positive self-selection of temporary migrants compared to permanent migrants regarding their economic performance in Germany. A persistent wage disadvantage for permanent migrants compared to German natives is predicted. An endogeneity correction of the return migration decision reveals positive selection of return migrants compared to permanent migrants regarding unobservable characteristics. Quantile regressions show an earnings advantage for return migrants compared to permanent migrants for low-income levels. A decomposition of the wage distribution identifies educational differences as a main determinant of wage differences. In contrast to the findings of the cross-sectional analysis the results of the cohort model estimation imply that wage differences between permanent migrants and comparable Germans are insignificant.