(1) Department of Economics, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage ,Alaska, 99508 , USA;(2) Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage ,Alaska , 99508 , USA
Abstract:
We investigate determinants of the pattern of recent migration of Alaska Natives between rural homelands and urban areas. A review of the literature on moving in the North American North suggests that economic opportunities draw migrants, although such opportunities must be viewed in the context of the mixed subsistence-cash economy prevailing in rural areas of the region. Consequently, we model Native migration as a simultaneous decision with labor market participation in a mixed economy. Estimated equations explaining individual Alaska Native migration choices using the U.S. Census Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) are consistent with the model, and also suggest that perceived opportunities differ between women and men.The authors acknowledge financial support from the National Science Foundation, grant OPP-9521459. An earlier version of this paper was presented to the 1998 annual meeting of the Western Regional Science Association
