Candidate: Haoqian Zou

Dissertation Title: Social Network and Migration

Abstract: This dissertation explores the influence of social networks on job location choices of workers and new graduates in the United States. The first paper uses the American Community Survey and a social connection index derived from Facebook friendships to analyze how social networks between metropolitan areas affect the location choices of American workers. It finds that social ties significantly guide migration decisions, particularly for marginalized groups in the labor market. The second paper examines the role of alumni networks on the migration of PhD graduates from student to non-academic roles. By analyzing data from LinkedIn covering approximately 300,000 PhD graduates from 145 R1 universities over three decades, this study identifies how alumni influence school-to-work transitions. The findings highlight that alumni in higher managerial positions facilitate migration by providing support, whereas those in junior positions might impede it due to competitive dynamics. The third paper investigates the spatial dimensions of alumni networks using over 10 million LinkedIn profiles of college graduates from 273 R1 and R2 universities. It quantifies how strong alumni networks increase the likelihood of graduates choosing particular metropolitan areas for their first job, especially among peers from the same discipline. The influence of these networks is shown to vary significantly across demographic groups and metropolitan areas. Collectively, these studies demonstrate the powerful role of both general and professional networks in shaping migration and employment patterns, offering new insights into the mechanisms that drive geographic and professional mobility.

Committee: 

Haizheng Li, PhD, (advisor), School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Jason Lindo, PhD, School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Julia Melkers, PhD, CORD & School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University

Justin Burkett, PhD, School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Robert Gonzalez, PhD, School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Casey Wichman, PhD, School of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Location: Old Civil Engineering Building -G10

Date: May 23, 2024

Time: 10am-12pm, EST