From slums to sustainability? Internal migration in a highly urbanised developing country: the case of Brazil

Sammanfattning: Brazil is a country founded on migration, and since the Second World War most of that migration has been internal. However, urban overcrowding has changed the nature of migration in this, one of the most urbanized developing countries. Does internal migration in such a context still bring sizeable income gains, and are Brazilian workers right to be moving away from megaolopolises like greater São Paolo? This thesis examines differences in income between between migrants and non-migrants in both rural and urban settings, and finds a surprisingly large premium associated with being a migrant, which suggests that in some cases migration can in some cases be a mechanism by which economic inequalities are reduced.