Unlike previous work on barriers to entry in international trade, we test four theories on barriers to exit, and find that macroeconomic and brain drain explanations explain them, while institutional and cultural hypotheses are not empirically robust. Findings are robust.

Using individual and city-level data from Canada, we study how some variables related to globalization, such as immigration, television viewing, borders, and residence history of the individuals, determine cultural assimilation. Results show that actual contact is an important determinant.