Internal migration and urban labor markets: evidence from expellee flows in West Germany in the 1950s

Abstract: This study evaluates the impact of expellee migration on urban labor markets in West Germany in the 1950s. By utilizing newly digitized data and empirically accounting for the spatial context, the results show that the migration of expellees played a significant role in accelerating sectoral change, while cities with a high initial inflow were impeded in the pace of sectoral change. The study therefore highlights the importance of an equitable geographical distribution of migrants such that they are able to meaningfully contribute to the local economy, as expellees did in West Germany in the 1950s.