Determinants of interregional migration in Italy:A panel data analysis

After two decades of low internal migration rates, official national statistics report a considerable increase of internal mobility which started in 1996 and still continues to grow at the time of writing. Using panel data analysis on gross migration flows between regions, this study investigates the role of the main economic determinants during the period 1996-2002. The analysis distinguishes between the role played by the same explanatory variable in the sending region (push factor) and in the destination region (pull factor). The per capita GDP turns out to be the main economic determinant, showing a strong effect both when it acts as a push factor and when it acts as an attractive factor. On the contrary, the effect of the unemployment rate estimates is much stronger in the sending region than in the destination region. Moreover, the standard gravity variables like distance and population size are also significant and with the expected sign.