The Impact of Rural-Urban Migration on Subjective Well-Being in South Africa
研究了2008至2012年间南非城乡迁移对个人主观幸福感的短期至中期影响，发现迁移导致主观幸福感下降8.3%，可能源于虚假期望、参照群体变化及离家的情感成本。
This paper quantifies the short to medium term impact of rural-urban migration on an individual’s subjective well-being in South Africa between 2008 and 2012. We work through different econometric specifications; using instrumental variables to control for endogeneity caused by shock-induced self-selection, and Propensity Score Matching to control for migration self-selection bias. We find that rural-urban migration leads to a decrease in subjective well-being by 8.3 per cent. We suspect that the decreased well-being is a result of false expectations and changing relative groups used to peg aspirations, as well as the emotional cost of being away from family and a home environment.