Migration as a Symptom of Europe’s Economic Disparities

No AccessApr 2022Migration as a Symptom of Europe’s Economic DisparitiesAuthors/Editors: Laurent Bossavie, Daniel Garrote-Sánchez, Mattia Makovec, Çağlar ÖzdenLaurent BossavieSearch for more papers by this author, Daniel Garrote-SánchezSearch for more papers by this author, Mattia MakovecSearch for more papers by this author, Çağlar ÖzdenSearch for more papers by this authorhttps://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1732-8_ch1AboutView ChaptersFull TextPDF (0.6 MB) ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Abstract: Reports that Europe has undergone a remarkable process of income convergence and economic integration between East and West since the 2004 European Union (EU) fifth wave of enlargement. Contrary to the overall convergence in incomes across EU countries, however, income disparities within countries have risen, suggesting gaps persist between prospering and lagging regions. Technological change, globalization, and the shifting nature of jobs have contributed to divergence in productivity between firms and regions. Social protection spending and the availability of social services also vary greatly, with important gaps persisting between Western and Eastern European social protection funding. In this context, migration flows, both internal and international, largely remain a symptom rather than a cause of the socioeconomic divide and the underlying structural factors. EU-wide labor mobility may contribute to greater convergence by allowing workers from lagging regions to access better opportunities across a large labor market, but it could also exacerbate geographical disparities. ReferencesClemens, Michael A. and Lant Pritchett. 2019. “The New Economic Case for Migration Restrictions: An Assessment.” Journal of Development Economics 138: 153–64. Google ScholarOECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). 2017. “The Great Divergence(s).” OECD Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy Paper 39 (May), OECD Publishing, Paris. Google ScholarRidao-Cano, Cristobal and Christian Bodewig. 2018. “Growing United: Upgrading Europe’s Convergence Machine.” World Bank Report on the European Union, World Bank, Washington, DC. Google Scholar Previous chapterNext chapter FiguresreferencesRecommendeddetails View Published: April 2022ISBN: 978-1-4648-1732-8 Copyright & Permissions Related RegionsEurope and Central AsiaRelated TopicsCommunities & Human SettlementsMacroeconomics and Economic GrowthScience and Technology DevelopmentSocial DevelopmentSocial Protections and Labor KeywordsMIGRATIONMIGRATION PATTERNSLABOR MARKETTECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTWAGE GAPSEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESSOCIOECONOMIC CHANGESDRIVERS OF CHANGEPRODUCTIVITYLABOR MOBILITYGLOBALIZATIONSOCIAL PROTECTION POLICYINCOME INEQUALITY PDF DownloadLoading ...