Title  Analyzing the effects of the sovereign debt crisis on migration from Southern to Northern Europe: the Portuguese case
Author  Maria Inês Filipe Correia
Supervisors  João Lopes and João Peixoto
Yeat  2015
Institution  Higher Institute of Economics and Management, University of Lisbon
Degree  Masters
Area  International economics and European studies
Keywords  Emigration, sovereign debt crisis, unemployment, migratory movements, macroeconomic framework
URI  http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/10665

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the effect of the sovereign debt crisis on emigration from southern to northern Europe, taking into account the specificity of the Portuguese case between 1999 and 2014. Although emigration is part of Portuguese history, it was never expected to repeat the scenario of the 60s. The new Portuguese emigrants seem to have better levels of education and are prepared to live outside Portugal for several years. Macroeconomic analysis is able to explain Portugal's path since joining the euro, through the sovereign debt crisis and ending in 2014. The results of the correlations seem to confirm a strong relationship between total emigration and the unemployment rate. The opposite is true for the GDP per capita growth rate: there is a fairly weak relationship between this variable and total emigration.