Spain is one of the Southern European nations characterized by very low inter-provincial mobility rates despite large inter-regional unemployment rate differences. We examine whether non-contributory pensions –an increasingly important component of many welfare systems, have curtailed the internal migration of younger cohorts over the past three decades. Using changes in the number of beneficiaries brought about by a policy reform in 1991, we show that old-age non-contributory pensions are associated with reduced internal migration of 25-to-35 year old men and women with less human capital. The effects do not appear to be driven by intergenerational reciprocity or quid pro quo exchanges, and do not extend to other types of pensions, hinting on systematic employment barriers faced by younger, less educated, or unexperienced men and women from lower income households qualifying for these pensions. The ability to rely on the support from older family members residing nearby might provide a lifeline but, simultaneously, curtail their propensity to out-migrate.

西班牙是南部欧洲国家之一，尽管地区间失业率差异很大，但省际流动性却非常低。我们研究了非缴费型养老金（在许多福利体系中越来越重要的组成部分）在过去的三十年中是否减少了年轻人群的内部流动。利用1991年政策改革带来的受益人数量变化，我们表明，老年非缴费型养老金与25至35岁男性和女性人力资本较少的内部移民减少相关。影响似乎不是由代际互惠或交换条件所驱动交换，并且不扩展到其他类型的养老金，这暗示了有资格领取养老金的低收入家庭的年轻，受教育程度较低或没有经验的男女面临的系统性就业障碍。依靠住在附近的年长家庭成员的支持的能力可能提供了生命线，但同时也降低了他们向外移民的倾向。