Illegality is in the Eye of the Beholder: Experimental Evidence on Criminality and Risks of Irregular Migration
Year: 2016
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Why do so many migrants decide to live clandestinely in foreign countries \ndespite the risks involved? Existing work on illegal migration is closely tied \nto economic incentives, but we expect that individual perceptions and attitudes \nrepresent an important, but highly underrepresented, component of \nillegal migrant behaviour. We identify three psychological motivations underlying \nillegal migration: perceived necessity, considerations of risk, and norms \nthat condone law-breaking. We test each mechanism through the analysis of \ntwo list experiments in Jamaica, an origin country with a disproportionately \nhigh migrant population and a wide variety of migration channels. We examine \ntwo important strategies available to migrants: falsifying documents \nand working under-the-table, and we find that the psychological motivations \nbehind each strategy vary substantially. Support for falsifying documents \nis driven by perceived necessity, and support for working under-the-table is \nlargely a function of the perceived risks and legitimacy of immigration laws. \nOur findings suggest that public policies and empirical research that conflate \nillegal migrant strategies may be incomplete or ineffective. The full picture \nmay only come together after these strategies are decomposed.
Authors: Charles Schwartz, Martin Šimon, Diane Brage Hudson, SD Johnson
Language: English
Topic: Migration and Labor Dynamics
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Leverhulme Trust
OpenAlex ID: W2583930952