A Synthesis of Macro and Micro Approaches to Explaining Migration: Evidence from Inter-State Migration in the United States

Most attempts to explain migration behaviour have been formulated according to either a macro or micro level approach. Although both these approaches have provided valuable insights, the present paper suggests that a synthesis is appropriate. Such a synthesis is achieved by combining objectively calibrated characteristics of states with their subjectively measured counterparts. More specifically, the interrelationships are explored in three ways. First, the relationships between the objective variables and their subjective counterparts are analyzed. Second, both sets of variables are used to explain residential preferences and migration. Third, a series of path models are constructed to indicate how the subjective variables act as intervening variables between their objective counterparts and migration.