The network of global migration 1990–2013: Using ERGMs to test theories of migration between countries

Abstract

For the period 1990–2013, 202 countries are analysed as nodes linked by in- or out-migration of substantial shares of the sending country’s population. The resulting network shows regional, but also “cultural” clustering. Variants of ERGMs are used to determine geographic, demographic, economic, religious, linguistic as well as historical factors of migration between countries. Results are in line with gravity models, theories of global inequality, hegemonic languages and religious homophily, even though not all effects are fully consistent across all models. Moreover, former colonies show higher out-degree and there are strong network-structural effects indicating a hierarchy in attractiveness between countries for unobserved reasons.