The effect of regional inequalities on migration: A comparative analysis of Israel and Japan

This article posits three main questions: - Is there a general 'mechanism' through which disparities in regional development affect patterns of cross-district migration? - Which aspects of regional inequalities (climate, employment, housing availability, etc.) have the most profound effect on rates and direction of inter-area migration? - Which planning policies and strategies are conducive to increasing the migration attractiveness of peripheral development regions? In an attempt to answer these questions, the 1985-1995 statistical data for two relatively small and densely populated countries-Israel and Japan-are used. A general model of the factors affecting cross-district migration is suggested, and analysis-of-variance is used to explain the factors influencing rate of cross-area migration in the two countries. Although these countries differ substantially in respect to population size and local development, they appear to exhibit considerable similarities in general patterns of cross-district migration. Since the late 1980s, the attractiveness of core regions in both countries has tended to decline, while that of peripheral areas appeared to grow. It is argued that this resemblance of migration patterns is related to a similar balance of employment and housing availability in different geographic areas.