Thesis: This dissertation aims at shedding light on the interplay between human mobility, cultural identity and globalization. The critical role that human mobility and cultural identity play in the history of economic development is undeniable, for both phenomena accompany humankind throughout space and time. The questions I answer in this dissertation intend to focus on three aspects of these phenomena, that are at the core of the current public debate. I address these questions using novel data, partly coming from recently digitized historical files in the context of this doctorate. I provide conceptual, historical and theoretical frames for each topic, while relying on rigorous state-of-the-art econometric methods to infer causality. Following an introduction on the economics of migration and diversity, the core of this dissertation comprises three research papers. The first paper evaluates the effects of language training on the economic integration of immigrants; the second highlights the role of cultural identity and economic factors when taking the decision to emigrate, and the third investigates the effects that misleading information can have on the formation of cultural identity.