Publication

This paper explores the economic drivers of human trafficking and migrant exploitation using micro data. The authors argue that migration pressure combined with informal migration patterns and incomplete information are the key determinants of human trafficking. To test the argument, the authors use a dataset of 5513 households from Belarus, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine. They find that migrant families in high migration areas and with larger migrant networks are much more likely to have a trafficked victim among their members. Further, results also indicate that illegal migration increases trafficking risks and that awareness campaigns and a reduction of information asymmetries might be an effective strategy to reduce the crime.