Population, Migration and Development
Master “Development Economics”, Winter 2026
Instructors:
Hillel Rapoport (hillel.rapoport@univ-paris1.fr)
Introduction
How does migration affect economic development in home countries? The literature has long emphasized the role of remittances, and of self-selection (e.g., brain drain) on poverty, inequality, human capital formation or other socio-economic outcomes in developing countries. A more novel trend in the literature is to explore the role of migration networks/diasporas in promoting the economic and cultural integration of source counties into the global economy. This course will focus on the latter around the concept of “diaspora externalities”.
The first part of the course will investigate the role of diasporas in promoting the economic integration (through trade, financial investments, as well as through knowledge and technology diffusion) of home countries in the global economy. The second part will focus on migration and cultural globalization.
At a theoretical level we will convey intuitions on the channels at work using simple models. At the empirical level we will discuss the results from selected studies, mixing cross-country comparisons and careful analysis of certain case studies.
The course is organized around a series of lectures with required readings (marked **). Students must prepare for the class by reading the required articles ahead of the class.
Grading scheme: 100% final oral xam.
- Enseignant éditeur: Rapoport Hillel
