Looking beyond the influence of origin and destination factors: the role of spillovers in migration from Spain to Europe

Abstract

This paper analyses the factors involved in out-migration of the working-age native population from Spain to European countries during and after the Great Recession (2008-2016), accounting for the role of spatial spillovers through a spatial panel Durbin model. Furthermore, the study provides a comparative analysis between young and adult out-migrants to explore whether they hold different motivations. The findings reveal that out-migration of natives responded mainly to labour incentives and social protection expenditure, although the presence of amenities also mattered. Furthermore, they point to the relevance of social networks of former Spanish out-migrants residing in Europe as a pull factor, being this effect higher for young than for adult out-migrants. Finally, results disclose, regardless of the age group, the existence of very remarkable spatial spillovers.