Geographical and economic determinants of interregional migration in the USSR, 1968-1985

"Interregional migration results in a regional redistribution of labor, essential under the current mismatch between the locations of labor and of natural resources and industrial capacity in the USSR. This study focuses on economic and geographical determinants of destination choice of migrants from 1968 through 1985. Particular emphasis is placed upon the relative effects of economic variables and quality of life factors and on the effect of gravity variables (i.e., distance and population size). The statistically significant results for the economic and gravity variables indicate the appropriateness of using Western theories to analyze migration in the Soviet context."