Inequality and the (self-)selection of international migrants : theory and novel evidence

"This paper analyses the (self-)selection of migrants between countries which have substantial differences in the inequality of earnings and income levels. In an extended version of the Roy-model we consider migration costs, which tend to grow less than proportional with the income level. As a consequence, migrants can be favourably self-selected although the inequality of earnings is larger in the destination relative to the sending country. Based on a novel panel data set, covering migration from 143 sending countries all over the world into the 6 main receiving countries in the OECD from 1975 to 2000, we examine the factors which drive the selection bias of the migrant population empirically. The descriptive statistics indicate that migrants tend to be positively (self-)selected although the inequality in earnings is larger in the destination relative to the sending countries. Our estimation results suggest that both, a higher inequality in the distribution of earnings in the receiving and the sending country increases the skill level of the migrant population relative to that of the population in the sending countries. Moreover, the positive selection bias decreases with the income level of the sending country at a given income differential. Finally, migration barriers and distance affect the selection bias positively." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))internationale Wanderung, Wanderungsmotivation, regionale Mobilität, Mobilitätsbereitschaft - Determinanten, ökonomische Faktoren, Einkommensverteilung, Ungleichheit, Migranten, Arbeitsmigration, Qualifikationsniveau, Qualifikationsstruktur, Herkunftsland, Einwanderungsland, Humankapital, Migrationstheorie, Mobilitätsbarriere, Welt, OECD, Australien, Kanada, Frankreich, Bundesrepublik Deutschland, USA, Großbritannien

A Panel Data Analysis of the Brain Gain

This paper casts the Belgian Great Depression of the 1930s within a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) framework. Results show that a total factor productivity shock within a standard real business cycle model is unsatisfactory. Introducing war expectations in the baseline model produces little improvement. Given the evidence on sticky wages put forward by historians, it shows that a simple DGSE model with sticky wages à la Taylor improves on the result.human capital; convergence; brain drain

The evolution of gene duplicates in angiosperms and the impact of protein-protein interactions and the mechanism of duplication

Gene duplicates, generated through either whole genome duplication (WGD) or small-scale duplication (SSD), are prominent in angiosperms and are believed to play an important role in adaptation and in generating evolutionary novelty. Previous studies reported contrasting evolutionary and functional dynamics of duplicate genes depending on the mechanism of origin, a behavior that is hypothesized to stem from constraints to maintain the relative dosage balance between the genes concerned and their interaction context. However, the mechanism ultimately influencing loss and retention of gene duplicates over evolutionary time are not yet fully elucidated. Here, by using a robust classification of gene duplicates in Arabidopsis thaliana, Solanumlycopersicum, and Zea mays, large RNAseq expression compendia and an extensive protein-protein interaction (PPI) network from Arabidopsis, we investigated the impact of PPIs on the differential evolutionary and functional fate ofWGD and SSD duplicates. In all three species, retained WGD duplicates show stronger constraints to diverge at the sequence and expression level than SSD ones, a pattern that is also observed for shared PPI partners between Arabidopsis duplicates. PPIs are preferentially distributed among WGD duplicates and specific functional categories. Furthermore, duplicates with PPIs tend to be under stronger constraints to evolve than their counterparts without PPIs regardless of their mechanism of origin. Our results support dosage balance constraint as a specific property of genes involved in biological interactions, including physical PPIs, and suggest that additional factors may be differently influencing the evolution of genes following duplication, depending on the species, time, and mechanism of origin

Immigration and its dependence on the welfare system: the case of France

In this paper, we bring to light the link between immigration in France and the appeal to its welfare system: familial assistance, retirement, health, housing assistance, unemployment benefits and RMI (the French Minimum Guaranteed Income). Our results show that when we control for differences in characteristics between natives and immigrants, the over representation of mi grants among the beneficiaries of social protection is noticed only for unemployment benefits and for the RMI (in addition to an over representation also on housing assistance, in particular for the populations born in North Africa

The (self-)selection of international migrants reconsidered: theory and new evidence

This paper reconsiders the (self-)selection of international migrants. In an extended Roy-model we analyse the factors which affect the selection bias of migrants. In particular, we find that migrants need not necessarily be (un-)favourably self-selected if the inequality of earnings is higher (lower) in the receiving country compared to the sending country. Moreover, migrants might be favourably (self-)selected if the migration costs tend to decline with the skill level of migrants, even if the inequality of earnings is larger in the destination relative to the sending country. Based on a novel data set we find descriptive evidence that migrants tend be positively (self-)selected although the inequality in earnings is higher in the sending relative to the receiving countries. Moreover, our regressions results indicate that both, a higher inequality in the host and the home country, is associated with a favourable selection bias

Complete mesocolic excision does not increase short-term complications in laparoscopic left-sided colectomies : a comparative retrospective single-center study

Background: Since the implementation of total mesorectal excision (TME) in rectal cancer surgery, oncological outcomes improved dramatically. With the technique of complete mesocolic excision (CME) with central vascular ligation (CVL), the same surgical principles were introduced to the field of colon cancer surgery. Until now, current literature fails to invariably demonstrate its oncological superiority when compared to conventional surgery, and there are some concerns on increased morbidity. The aim of this study is to compare short-term outcomes after left-sided laparoscopic CME versus conventional surgery. Methods: In this retrospective analysis, data on all laparoscopic sigmoidal resections performed during a 3-year period (October 2015 to October 2018) at our institution were collected. A comparative analysis between the CME group-for sigmoid colon cancer-and the non-CME group-for benign disease-was performed. Results: One hundred sixty-three patients met the inclusion criteria and were included for analysis. Data on 66 CME resections were compared with 97 controls. Median age and operative risk were higher in the CME group. One leak was observed in the CME group (1/66) and 3 in the non-CME group (3/97), representing no significant difference. Regarding hospital stay, postoperative complications, surgical site infections, and intra-abdominal collections, no differences were observed. There was a slightly lower reoperation (1.5% versus 6.2%, p = 0.243) and readmission rate (4.5% versus 6.2%, p = 0.740) in the CME group during the first 30 postoperative days. Operation times were significantly longer in the CME group (210 versus 184 min, p < 0.001), and a trend towards longer pathological specimens in the CME group was noted (21 vs 19 cm, p = 0.059). Conclusions: CME does not increase short-term complications in laparoscopic left-sided colectomies. Significantly longer operation times were observed in the CME group

Gene duplicability of core genes is highly consistent across all angiosperms

Gene duplication is an important mechanism for adding to genomic novelty. Hence, which genes undergo duplication and are preserved following duplication is an important question. It has been observed that gene duplicability, or the ability of genes to be retained following duplication, is a nonrandom process, with certain genes being more amenable to survive duplication events than others. Primarily, gene essentiality and the type of duplication (small-scale versus large-scale) have been shown in different species to influence the (long-term) survival of novel genes. However, an overarching view of "gene duplicability" is lacking, mainly due to the fact that previous studies usually focused on individual species and did not account for the influence of genomic context and the time of duplication. Here, we present a large-scale study in which we investigated duplicate retention for 9178 gene families shared between 37 flowering plant species, referred to as angiosperm core gene families. For most gene families, we observe a strikingly consistent pattern of gene duplicability across species, with gene families being either primarily single-copy or multicopy in all species. An intermediate class contains gene families that are often retained in duplicate for periods extending to tens of millions of years after whole-genome duplication, but ultimately appear to be largely restored to singleton status, suggesting that these genes may be dosage balance sensitive. The distinction between single-copy and multicopy gene families is reflected in their functional annotation, with single-copy genes being mainly involved in the maintenance of genome stability and organelle function and multicopy genes in signaling, transport, and metabolism. The intermediate class was overrepresented in regulatory genes, further suggesting that these represent putative dosage-balance-sensitive genes