title: The earnings experience of rural-urban migrants in Korea.
abstract: "Migration models in the Harris-Todaro tradition imply that urban informal sector earnings are less than rural sector earnings. Examining the situation for [South] Korea, we find that both urban formal and informal sector earnings exceed earnings opportunities in rural areas, making rural-urban migration the best decision for the individual and for the Korean economy in terms of maximizing output.... The implication for policy makers is that government efforts may be better directed toward mitigating the externalities caused by over-crowding, rather than attempting to influence population movements."
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia; D003710:Demography; D003906:Developing Countries; D004467:Economics; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005202:Asia, Eastern; D005843:Geography; D007182:Income; D007723:Korea; D011153:Population; D011154:Population Characteristics; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011640:Public Policy; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: Asia; Demographic Factors; Developing Countries; Eastern Asia; Economic Factors; Geographic Factors; Income; Korea; Korea, Republic Of; Migration; Migration Policy; Policy; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Density; Population Dynamics; Population Policy; Rural Population; Rural-urban Migration; Social Policy; Socioeconomic Factors; Spatial Distribution; Urban Population