Ethnic differences in spatial mobility: the impact of family ties

Abstract

In the last three decades, the population of Amsterdam has been ‘coloured’ due to immigration flows from abroad and a low outflow rate among these immigrants and their descendants. The question is to what extent differences in the spatial mobility behaviours of migrants and natives are generated by neighbourhood characteristics – including the level of ethnic segregation and family ties? This article examines spatial mobility processes in the Amsterdam population using administrative individual data covering the entire population of the city. The analysis shows that Caribbean (Surinamese and Antillean) migrants have a higher probability of moving to the suburbs while Moroccans and Turks tend to rearrange themselves within the city. The estimates reveal that neighbourhood ‘quality’ has only a modest impact on the probability of moving, while family ties significantly hamper the out-mobility of all individuals. The impact of family ties is the largest for Turkish and Moroccan migrants. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.