F. Neto et E. Mullet, DECISION-MAKING AS REGARDS MIGRATION - WAGE DIFFERENTIAL, JOB OPPORTUNITY, AND THE NETWORK EFFECT, Acta psychologica, 98(1), 1998, pp. 57-66
The aim of the present work was to study the relationship between inte
nt to migrate and three other factors: two economic factors, namely Wa
ge differential and Employment opportunity, and a non-economic, social
factor that we call the Network factor. The hypotheses tested in this
study were that of a main effect of the Network factor and that of in
teractions between wage differential and job opportunities, between Ne
twork factor and wage differential, between Network factor and job opp
ortunities, and between Network factor, wage differential and job oppo
rtunities. The study was an application of Information Integration The
ory. The sample group was composed of 40 Portuguese adolescents. The f
ollowing findings were observed: (a) the intent to migrate was higher
in the network condition, (b) the effect of wage differential was high
er when employment opportunities were good than when they were poor, a
nd vice versa, (c) the effects of wage differential and employment opp
ortunities were higher in the network condition, and (d) the way in wh
ich employment opportunities altered the effect of wage differential v
aried as a function of the network factor. These findings hold, indepe
ndent of gender and social economic status of participants. (C) 1998 E
lsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.