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Roger White
 
''Is cultural distance a determinant of international migration flows? Evidence from Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands''
( 2013, Vol. 33 No.3 )
 
 
We examine the relationship between source-destination country cultural differences and international migration flows using data for three immigrant destination countries (i.e., Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands) and a cohort of 66 heterogeneous immigrant source countries during the years 1997-2002. Results obtained from the estimation of our empirical specifications using the Negative Binomial regression technique indicate that, all else equal, cultural distance is negatively related to migration flows and that larger existing immigrant stocks correspond with larger subsequent migration flows. These findings are consistent with the results reported in Belot and Ederveen (2012). Extending the literature, we report that existing immigrant stocks act to offset the migration-inhibiting influences of cultural distance. Finally, we report variation across Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands both in terms of the migration-inhibiting influence of cultural distance and in the extents to which existing immigrant stocks act to offset this influence.
 
 
Keywords: Cultural Distance, Gravity Model, Migration, Negative Binomial Regression
JEL: F2 - International Factor Movements and International Business: General
 
Manuscript Received : May 12 2013 Manuscript Accepted : Aug 23 2013

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