Who Aspires for International Migration? An Exploration of the Role of Internal Migration, Capacities and Relative Deprivation

Abstract Who aspires to migrate internationally? This question has occupied the research agendas of many migration scholars. In this paper, we aim to answer this question using unique life history survey data collected among 604 internal migrants and non-migrants residing in Accra, Ghana. By making a comparison between the two groups, we explore the role of internal migration experiences in affecting international migration aspirations. Building upon the ‘hedonic treadmill effect’, which argues that individual migration experiences further increase migration aspirations, we investigate whether internal migrants in Ghana are more likely to aspire to migrate internationally than non-migrants and whether higher capacities and stronger feelings of relative deprivation can explain this relationship. Mediated logistic regression analyses show no evidence for the hedonic treadmill effect in this context. While internal migration is associated with a higher likelihood of being employed and stronger feelings of relative deprivation, these factors do not lead to stronger international migration aspirations. This is most likely due to the challenging context that internal migrants face in Accra, which reduces internal migrants’ total capacity to aspire for international migration. Future research could uncover the levels of economic capital as well as thresholds of relative deprivation that lead to observable hedonic treadmill effects.