Across the globe, is there a large-scale relationship between government corruption and immigration?
Correct Answer
Data from more than 150 countries show that people tend to migrate away from nations with worse public-sector corruption and migrate to nations with "higher degrees of press freedom, access to information about public expenditure, stronger standards of integrity for public officials, and independent judicial systems." Association does not prove causation, but these data are consistent with what Latinos have told pollsters about their motives for migrating to the United States. Other characteristics of nations with high emigration rates are low standards of living, regulations that make it difficult to run businesses, high murder rates, low levels of electricity use, and low levels of healthcare spending. These associations are significantly stronger for nations with high levels of illegal immigration to the U.S.
DocumentationImmigration Drivers