Paper Walls Are Easier to Tear Down: Passport Costs and Legal Barriers to Emigration

SummaryNew data collected on passport costs in 127 countries reveal enormous variation. One in every 10 countries have passport costs exceeding 10% of annual per capita income. High passport costs are found to be associated with poor governance, especially in terms of the quality of the bureaucracy, and with lower levels of migration. Countries which place legal restrictions on the rights of women to emigrate are also found to have lower migration rates. This suggests scope for developing countries to receive greater migration benefits by tearing down the paper walls they place around their own citizens.