South American immigrants in the USA: Education levels, tasks performed and the decision to go back home
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the main factors influencing the decision of migrants from South America (SA) living in the USA to return to their countries of origin. In particular, it is aimed at understanding the role played by higher education in this decision. Although it is not feasible to refer to the tasks performed by immigrants in the USA as determinants in their decision to return to their homelands, it is nonetheless worth verifying whether these tasks are closely related or not to their qualifications.
Design/methodology/approach
The program evaluation methodology proposed by Heckman and Robb to correct the “contamination bias” in a program evaluation setting is adopted in this document.
Findings
This exercise shows that the probability of remaining in the USA for those with university degrees or more advanced education levels is 12.6 percent higher than for those with only secondary or lower education. In addition, it is shown that SA immigrants are usually engaged in tasks requiring certain qualifications commensurate with their level of education, although such relationship varies in intensity among migrants from different countries.
Research limitations/implications
This exercise does not take into account migrants in the USA not included in the US Censuses.
Practical implications
The results obtained mean that the flight of human capital from SA countries to the USA is being accentuated by the “negative selection” of returnees, and that migrants' qualifications actually determine the complexity of tasks they may perform in the USA.
Originality/value
The paper overcomes the lack of longitudinal data of migrants by implementing a methodology providing new evidence about return migration and brain drain of SA immigrants in the USA. In addition, new data are used to analyze the relationship between education and the complexity of the tasks SA migrants are performing in the USA.
Keywords
Citation
Medina, C. and Posso, C. (2013), "South American immigrants in the USA: Education levels, tasks performed and the decision to go back home", Journal of Economic Studies, Vol. 40 No. 2, pp. 255-279. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443581311283709
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited