Page 10 - IJPS-10-3

International Journal of
Population Studies The use of multiregional life tables in Italy

(Staniscia & Benassi, 2018). In total, the number of that the construction of table was based on gender), for
those who abandoned the south from 1995 to 2008 was each of which we measure the intensity that the four
approximately 1 million people aged between 20 and 40 macroregions demonstrate in attracting portions of the
(Cantalini & Valentini, 2012). Yet, while in the 1990s, it life expectancy at birth (e0) for each of the types. In the
was individuals between 20 and 25 years of age who had next section, we present how the internal migration was
the highest propensity to migrate, in the following decade, analyzed based on the macroregion of birth of those who
it was those between 25 and 30 years old who were most change residence using Rogers’ multiregional life table
likely to do so (Svimez, 2009). model (1973).
More recent studies on the internal migration flows in 2. Data and methods
Italy confirmed the persistence of a south to north migration
axis (Benassi et al., 2019a) and even the resurgence of the 2.1. Traditional life table and multiregional life table
importance of metropolitan areas in attracting internal The traditional life table is a central concept in demography.
migration, especially foreign citizens residing in Italy Its use allows us to follow the survivorship of a closed
(Strozza et al., 2016; Benassi et al., 2019b). Persistent and group of people born at the same time. Such a cohort
even increasing socioeconomic disparities between the decreases over time until its extinction with the death of
different areas of the country seem to continue to play a the last individual (Preston et al., 2001). The key element
fundamental role in defining the migration mechanism of this instrument is the certainty of the irreversibility of
and intensities across Italy (Buonomo et al., 2023). In the transition from surviving to deceased status (Preston
this general framework, foreign citizens are in some way et al., 2001). There are extensions of the life table, in
overlapping their internal migration trajectories to the particular the multiple decrement life table, which allow
ones of Italians, but with higher intensities (Casacchia for distinguishing between different causes of death (Land
et al., 2022). Distinctions such as age at migration, types & Rogers, 1982). However, the traditional life table does
of trajectories, and returns to the macroregion of origin not allow us to follow the transitions of repeatable events.
represent the core variables of the present study of internal In other words, it does not permit us to follow people who
migration in Italy. have moved from one state to another and to analyze their
It is important to bear in mind that the studies presented subsequent experiences (Ledent, 1980). A single-region
so far used the traditional approach, where migratory life table shows only the life expectancy of people who
trajectories are generally measured through the calculation remain in one specific region, and migration is completely
of rates or propensities distinguishing, at most, gender, disregarded (Rogers & Willekens, 1986). More complex
age, and direction of displacement. In contrast, migration tables can overcome this limitation by considering not
measures based on the multiregional approach enable us only irreversible events but also renewable and subsequent
to obtain a much more effective vision of the process of ones, through the construction of a table characterized
mobility (Rogers, 2008). In particular, the place-of-birth- by a plurality of inputs and outputs (Rogers, 1973). These
dependent approach presented here, which has never tables, also called increment-decrement life tables, enable
previously been utilized in the measurement of migration us to study marriage and divorce, employment, birth,
trajectories in Italy, allows for obtaining a much more and internal migration. In the latter case, we refer to
effective perspective, perhaps the most useful in light of the multiregional tables (Rogers, 1973), which are the subject
existing methods in demography and the data available. of this study. Many different varieties of migration data
This measurement is not affected by bias caused by the have been employed as inputs for the multiregional life
different size of the groups observed and/or their different table, and several methods of converting these migration
structural characteristics (Rogers, 2015). Therefore, highly data and associated mortality data into the probabilities
accurate measurement of migration propensity can be needed in the life table have been suggested (Rees &
made. In other words, this method allows access to the field Wilson, 1975; Rogers & Ledent, 1976; Ledent, 1978). There
of “pure” measures in the field of demography, devoid of are many applications of the multiregional model (Ledent
compositional effects that could exert a strong perturbing & Rees, 1980), and the robustness of these results has been
effect on the measurement of the true extent of internal extensively demonstrated in comparison to those derived
migration (Willekens, 2016). from the computation of traditional measures, including
The information regarding the flows distinguished by total and age-specific migration rates (Philipov & Rogers,
age, gender, place of birth, and direction of movement 1981; Jozwiak, 1992; Halli & Rao, 2013).
is best summarized with this approach, which leads to a In general, multiregional tables are based on two
comparison of four typical individuals (eight if we consider rigorous assumptions. On the one hand, the homogeneity

Volume 10 Issue 3 (2024) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.1898