Migration and return migration: A new look at the Eastern Kentucky migration stream
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Most studies of the economics of migration have implicitly assumed that migratory streams are homogeneous. However, migratory streams from one region to another consist of two distinct streams: a stream of first-time migrants and a stream of return migrants moving back to their area of origin. In fact, a substantial proportion of all U.S. migration is return migration, 14 percent from 1955 to 1960 [15,p. 3]. Moreover, in states with histories of substantial out-migration, an even greater proportion of in-migrants are returnees, 35 .4 percent between 1955 and 1960. Yet, economists have largely ignored return migration in their attempts to explain changes in the labor force. Studies of return migration may have several important implications. If first-time migrants and return migrants have different characteristics, then studies which distinguish the two streams may provide more reliable insights into the determinants of migration. Comparison of the characteristics of return migrants with migrants who remain may provide guidance for the design of programs to facilitate successful migration. Knowledge of the causes and characteristics of return migration may provide additional understanding of the effects of migration on the communities of origin and destination.