Updates

The "la Caixa" Foundation's Social Observatory recently featured the paper, "Searching for a better life: Predicting international migration with online search keywords," by Marcus H. Böhme (German Federal Ministry of Finance), Andre Groeger (MOVE, UAB and BSE), and Tobias Heidland (né Stöhr) (Kiel Institute for the World Economy and IZA).

In the paper, the authors demonstrate how geo-referenced online search data can be used to measure migration intentions in origin countries and to predict bilateral migration flows. The Social Observatory highlights three key points from this work:

  • Those aspiring to migrate typically acquire information about migration opportunities online, in their countries of origin, prior to departure. These data can be used to make short-term predictions about numbers of migrants, which may be very useful in situations such as humanitarian crises.
  • Google search data, which represent searches by over 1 billion people worldwide, are free of charge for small queries. Using the data to study international migration can be helpful, especially in developing countries because, to date, information on migration and people’s migration intention is scarce or exclusively available to paying users.
  • Google search data, which represent searches by over 1 billion people worldwide, are free of charge for small queries. Using the data to study international migration can be helpful, especially in developing countries because, to date, information on migration and people’s migration intention is scarce or exclusively available to paying users.

The paper "Searching for a better life: Predicting international migration with online search keywords" has been published in the January 2020 issue of the Journal of Develoment Economics.

Other recent updates

logo of BBVA Foundation

Rosa Ferrer and Joan Monràs awarded BBVA Foundation Leonardo Grants

Professors Rosa Ferrer (UPF and BSE) and Joan Monràs (UPF and BSE) have each been awarded a prestigious Leonard Grant...

logo

Fellowship call: Women for Africa Foundation (deadline Sep 30)

The Women for Africa Foundation (FMxA) has announced the 10th edition of the Science by Women research fellowship program. The...

Women for Africa Foundation
academic careers

2024 PhD job market results in the BSE research community

Congratulations to the new PhDs from the doctoral programs at UAB and UPF on their success in the 2024 job market!...

BSE Focus
logos

Flip Klijn wins 2024 SEIO-BBVA Foundation Award

Barcelona School of Economics Research Professor Flip Klijn (IAE-CSIC and BSE) and his co-authors Péter Biró, Xenia Klimentova, and...

BBVA Foundation