Paper discussion: The role of social networks in the projection of international migration flows: an agent-based approach

4pm Thursday 9th June, Room  2.07B in the Humanities Bridgeford Street building, Manchester.  All welcome!

 

The role of social networks in the projection of international migration flows: an agent-based approach
Carla Anjos, University of Aveiro, and Pedro Campos1, Statistics Portugal and University of Porto, Portugal

Abstract

In recent years, migration has been modelled within the perspective of social networks. Models are based on the idea that migration flows are influenced by the social networks where the agents operate. In this work we use a Multi-Agent System to simulate social networks of migrants and analyse the impact of the structure of these networks in the flow of migrants. The model we propose uses information of a IPUMS database of immigrants in the United States. We focused in four different countries of origin: Germany, Mexico, Portugal and China and in six variables: age, educational level, income, number of people in the household, labour status and number of individuals in the social network of the agent. We have analysed four important measures of network structure: density and three measures of degree centralization: input, output and general. Results indicate that Mexicans have higher input and general degree centralization, meaning that their networks have higher levels of influence of the agents. We concluded that the agents that stay in the U.S. (and do not go away to their country of origin), have network connections that are weaker than those of other agents.

Available at:  http://www.unece.org/stats/documents/ece/ces/ge.11/2010/wp.24.e.pdf