RGP Cycle Three Grantees and Projects

Hatem Jemmali: On understanding the Internal Migration, Poverty and Inequality nexus in Tunisia: A review of information on current trends and patterns, and their policy implications

We live for a long time in a world shaped by internal and international migration. Each day, people decide to migrate from their homeland or even their own country to another location to work, study, retire, join up with their families and friends or escape from wars and disasters. Migration has affected considerably the demographic structure of cities, urban and rural zones and nations which Tunisia is relevant case. Giving that Tunisian people migrate within the country for many reasons, we will focus primarily on this project on the investigation of migration patterns and determinants using census data. We then examine the linkages between internal migration and inequality considered as the main factor of such social mobility. A special focus is given to the role of migration as an influence on income ratios between pairs of governors to analyse how migration works and how inequality may affect the decisions of migration flows over time. By means of gravity equation model and data from the last census and national survey on Households’ Budget, Consumption and Standard of Living conducted by the National Institute of Statistics, the former analysis may strongly prove economic motives for migration, but in addition it may suggest the existence of poverty-linked labour immobility at the governorate level. Investigation of income inequality between pairs of provinces may reveals that the influence of migration on inequality can be negative, positive or null.

Hatem Jemmali is a native of Sidi Bouzid and has lived in Ariana, Tunisia since 1999. Since 2005, Hatem worked as an assistant teacher at the University of Sousse and the University of ElManar and recently as an assistant professor at the University of Sousse since 2012. His theoretical and empirical background and focus on water management and policy, poverty and inequality issues has led him to write a number of papers in some known journals. Hatem received his Bachelor of High Commercial Studies (Finance) at the Carthage University, a Master in Economic Mathematics and Econometrics at ElManar University and finally a PhD in Economic Sciences at the former University.