The impact of air pollution on internal migration in the Czech Republic

Jan Sulak, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava

This paper focuses on analyses of determinants of internal (interregional) migration in the Czech Republic. In previous studies, there are considered main economic determinants, for example wages, unemployment and vacancy rates as important determinants of migration. For approximation of migration costs have been used especially distance and neighbourhood of districts (regions). In my study I posit that environmental pollution can play an increasingly important role in driving migration. It is possible to say, that breathing of polluted air should destroy human health, so pollution can act as a part of living costs (negative externality) and thus it can act as a “push” factor for people to migrate. I shed some light on the determinants by using data on inter-regional migration in the Czech Republic for years 1994-2011.