Consumption needs and Quality of Life: Austrian Economics and the causes of migration

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59670/ml.v18i6.1550

Keywords:

Migration causes, Quality of Life, consumption, wages, institutional barriers

Abstract

This paper re-introduces the view on migration causes by the Austrian School of Economics. Austrian economics has not earned its fame in the field of migration, but rather on advocating libertarian economics. Nonetheless Mises outlined a migration model, which can be understood by adding some clarifications by Hayek. Given that the institutional barriers to migration raised by the state are removed, the interplay between market wages, standard wages, attachment component and cost component will determine the migration. While the attachment component relates to fundamental freedoms and to what is referred to as quality-of-life aspects today, the cost component relates to subjective consumption needs. Hitherto unexplored, this model offers new insights to the complex interplay between economic and sociological aspects determining migration drivers.

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Author Biography

Daniel Rauhut, University of Eastern Finland

Daniel Rauhut is associate professor, holds a PhD in Economic history and works as a senior researcher at the University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland. His research has focused on e.g. the immigration to Sweden 1945-1975, integration of immigrants in Sweden, migration of women and lifestyle migration from Sweden to Portugal. Among his research interests are also theoretical and methodological appraisals and reviews. During the last 20 years he has worked in numerous EU funded migration related projects.

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Published

2021-11-30

How to Cite

Rauhut, D. (2021). Consumption needs and Quality of Life: Austrian Economics and the causes of migration. Migration Letters, 18(6), 687 –. https://doi.org/10.59670/ml.v18i6.1550

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Articles