According to a comprehensive study of 19 European countries over a period from 1993 to 2008, national differences in unemployment benefits have no impact on migration flows within the European Union. IZA researchers Corrado Giulietti, Martin Guzi, Martin Kahanec and Klaus F. Zimmermann find that — contrary to widespread prejudice — benefit generosity overall does not influence the individual decision to migrate. For non-EU immigrants only a small, statistically insignificant effect was found. “It is a popular myth that scores of immigrants come to take advantage of the welfare state,” said IZA Director Klaus F. Zimmermann. “While such cases exist, they are rather due to ill-designed immigration policies than to generous public benefits.”
Read the full article in The Guardian or download IZA Discussion Paper No. 6075.