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Description
Despite vast economic disparities, international migration from developing to advanced economies remains low. This is because people do not know whether and how they can migrate, are not allowed to migrate, do not want to migrate irregularly, or cannot afford to migrate. This paper examines the effects of informing individuals about legal migration pathways on aspirations for mobility and qualifications. We conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in rural Senegal, providing information and some basic assistance on the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery, which offers medium- and high-skilled migrants access to permanent residence. The intervention significantly increases migration intentions and shifts preferences toward legal pathways. However, ineligible individuals, particularly those already contemplating irregular migration, show increased interest in irregular migration, which may be seen as an unintended consequence. The education aspirations only increase weakly at high baseline aspirations. These aspirations already surpass the requirements for the visa policy for most respondents, but our participants lack the capabilities to achieve them.
| Keyword | Migration Economics |
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