Migración de las grandes ciudades de América Latina: el efecto rejuvenecedor, 1975-2010

Some theories foresee an economic decline of large cities as well as a reversal of their migratory appeal. Other theories predict its strengthening as centers of control and command in the globalized economy, keeping its migratory appeal, eventually more selective in socioeconomic terms. This debate ignores the selectivity by age of migration, and in particular, the historic attraction of large cities for young people. Then, through the intensive use of census microdata from the 1980s to 2010 of twenty large cities in Latin America, internal migration age rates are estimated and the effects of internal migration on growth and age composition are calculated, the latter by using fresh procedures. The results confirm that cities are still drawing young people, although at a lower rate, and migration still rejuvenates large cities.