This research analyzes the role that air pollution plays, controlling for other socio-economic factors, in the movement of the population among Italian provinces. In spite of the increased prominence of environmental degradation in the public policy debate, empirical evidence on the effects of air quality on the attraction or retention of people is still limited in Italy. This study aims at partly filling this gap. Specific attention is paid to the environmental risks presented in provinces contaminated by air pollution. We investigate whether population moves away from provinces with higher levels of air pollution emissions toward those characterized by lower levels, net of the other contextual factors associated with migration streams. While many factors can come into play on mobility decisions, it is suggested that the increased concerns with environmental risks may be influential in shaping internal migration choices. We discuss the implications of our findings for future policy options.

这项研究分析了控制其他社会经济因素的空气污染在意大利各省人口流动中的作用。尽管在公共政策辩论中环境恶化问题日益突出，但在意大利，有关空气质量对人的吸引力或留住率影响的经验证据仍然有限。这项研究旨在部分填补这一空白。应特别注意在被空气污染污染的省份中所表现出的环境风险。我们调查了人口是否从空气污染排放量较高的省份转移到空气污染排放量较低的省份（扣除与移民流相关的其他背景因素）。尽管许多因素会影响出行决策，建议增加对环境风险的关注可能会影响内部迁移选择的形成。我们讨论了我们的发现对未来政策选择的影响。