The effects of migration on public expenditures: A Study on OECD countries

Migration, which is in the nature of a population mobility that brings many problems from the first human communities to the modern state, is positioned as a global phenomenon today. The main purpose of the migrating individual or household is to move the current welfare level to a higher level. Therefore, the ultimate goal of a person who leaves his/her place of residence due to unemployment or migrates because he/she wants to survive in a war-torn geography is to increase his/her welfare. Economic actors' decision to migrate may be caused by individual or social factors. Unemployment as a result of economic crises, war, famine, natural events, the need for education or the desire to live in places with a higher level of welfare in return for the education received by individuals trigger migration. However, there is no single theory in the literature to explain the causes of migration. In this context, various migration theories have been created with the push and pull reasons of migration. As a matter of fact, education, health, defence and social security, which are among the basic services that states should provide to their citizens, affect migration flows both as a push and pull factor. This study quantitatively analyses the effects of migration flows on public expenditures in a settlement. According to the qualitative findings of the study within the framework of the compiled literature and theoretical background, migration has the potential to have many effects on public expenditures and macroeconomic indicators of the destination settlement. As a result of migration flows, the expenditures made for the adaptation and integration of migrants within the destination affect both public expenditures and the status and welfare level of the current residents in the receiving settlement. It is thought that this interaction can be elaborated with future empirical research.