Conflict-induced Migration of Composers: An Individual-level Study

In this article we explore to what extent the incidence of war affects the probability to emigrate of 164 prominent classical composers born after 1800. This study provides first insights on the decision making process of the forced migrant, the associated dynamics of conflict-induced migration and the determinants of choice of a destination country. We find that the incidence of inter-state wars increases composers’ probability to emigrate by around seven percent and the incidence of intra-state wars by roughly nineteen percent. The results imply that conflict impacts the migration intensity with a lag of approximately one year. We also find that the choice of a destination country is inefficient in times of wars.