This chapter considers the choice to migrate. We chose an approach of individual (or family) choice, ignoring the structural explanations, which suggest that individuals move only because of deep social change. However, it is acknowledged that the historical-sociological context in which the choice to migrate is made is extremely relevant, and so such factors are incorporated into a model of individual choice.

The aim of this chapter is to carry out empirical tests on the choice made by immigrants from Spain, Greece, Italy, and Portugal to northern European countries in the postwar period. We compare the explicative power of three approaches – economic, gravitational, and sociological – to analyze the choice to emigrate.

The economic approach draws on the theory of human capital and its development. Individuals decide to invest in migration if it implies a better return on their human capital, net of economic and psychological costs.

In contrast, the gravitational pull approach emphasizes territorial factors, in that it is derived from regional economics. Movement from one area to another is interpreted as in the physical sciences – that is, forces attract each other but are hindered by the inertia of distance.

The sociological approach to the individual choice to emigrate emphasizes the relevance of certain factors, such as social organization, especially the networks of knowledge and family links that can be found in the migratory chain.