Immigration And Cumulative Causation: Explaining The Ethnic And Spatial Diffusion Of Spain~s Immigrant Population 1997-2007

This paper argues that it is possible to explain the immigration intensity of close to 3 million immigration events in Spain by means of cumulative causation. In addition, it proposes that the theory of cumulative causation not only explains the intensity of migration but also the spatial and ethnic diffusion of the arriving immigrants. Thus, the paper reported here significantly expands the explanatory scope of this approach. One common notion in international immigration research is that interstate social network ties provide social capital that reduces the costs and risks of migration for future migrants.