Who is most likely to migrate from Albania? Evidence from the Albania Living Standards Measurement Survey

This paper uses the Albania Living Standards Measurement Survey from 2002 to examine the factors that render an individual most prone to the risk of international migration. The analysis uses novel data on whether individuals ever considered migrating abroad. The econometric models used provide good descriptions of the data and are well specified on the basis of a battery of diagnostic tests conducted. The estimated results are generally consistent with findings from the empirical literature on the willingness to migrate. The usual suspects emerge as determining factors with age, gender, employment status and education exerting predictable influences on migration risk. There is also a strong role for local labour market conditions and community level variables capturing, among other things, the prevalence of crime.