How selective migration shapes environmental inequality in Germany: Evidence from micro-level panel data

Journal article

Socio-economically disadvantaged and ethnic minorities are affected by a disproportionately high exposure to environmental pollution. Yet, it is unclear if selective migration causes this disproportionate exposure experienced by low-income and minority households. The study uses longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel to investigate the process of selective migration and its connection to the perceived exposure to air pollution in Germany. Consistent with the selective migration argument, movers experience a decrease in exposure according to their income, while stationary households do not experience a reductive effect due to income. Furthermore, the moving returns differ by minority status. While native German households experience less exposure to pollution when moving to a new place of residence, minority households do not. Additional analyses show that this minority effect cannot be explained by socio-economic differences, but completely vanishes in the second immigrant generation.

Authors: Rüttenauer, T; Best, H

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Journal: European Sociological Review
• Volume: 34
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 52-63
• Publication date: 2017-12-15
• Acceptance date: 2017-11-19
• DOI: 10.1093/esr/jcx082
• EISSN: 1468-2672
• ISSN: 0266-7215
• Language: English
• Keywords: spatial spillover effects; environmental inequality; German census; GIS; environmental justice; FFR; spatial analysis (SLX)