Social networks and migration decisions: The influence of peer effects in rural households in Central Asia

•We examine the influence of social networks on household decisions to emigrate.•The empirical results suggest that peer effects positively influence decisions to emigrate.•However, network position in society does not have such an effect.•Households' migration decisions are affected by the behavior of their neighbors.

This study examines the influence of social networks on household decisions to emigrate from rural Central Asia. It identifies the peer effects of social networks by using a unique and detailed dataset derived from the author's field survey in a rural village in a post-Soviet Central Asian country. Extended versions of spatial autoregressive models are then estimated by using the generalized spatial two-stage least squares method. The empirical results suggest that peer effects positively influence household decisions to emigrate, whereas network position does not. It is suggested the existence of intense social networks, which can be sources of spillover effects, might increase migration from the village society.