Urban to Urban Migration: Soviet Patterns and Post-Soviet Implications

In spite of extensive literature on migration in the Soviet Union, we know little about household-level decisions. This study specifies and estimates those variables important to understanding the migration decision. Using data from the Soviet Interview Project (SIP), we examine the forces influencing the decision to migrate or not to migrate, and in addition, for those who did migrate, the forces influencing the locational choices made. The results indicate that, while some of the traditional factors influencing migration are important, others are not, suggestion that in the post-Soviet era, differentiating the persistence of Soviet-type forces from emerging market-type forces will be important for an understanding of urban to urban migration.