Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

This paper uses a new, nationally-representative household survey from Ghana to analyze within a rigorous econometric framework how the receipt of internal remittances (from within Ghana) and international remittances (from African or other countries) affects the marginal spending behavior of households on a broad range of consumption and investment goods, including food, education and housing. Contrary to other studies, which find that remittances are spent disproportionately on consumption (food and consumer goods/durables) or investment goods (education and housing), the findings show that households receiving remittances in Ghana do not spend more at the margin on food, education and housing than households with similar income levels and characteristics that do not receive remittances. When the analysis controls for endogeneity and selection bias, the findings show that any differences in the marginal spending behavior between remittance-receiving and non-receiving households are explained completely by the observed and unobserved characteristics of households. Households in Ghana treat remittances just like any other source of income, and there are no changes in marginal spending patterns for households with the receipt of remittance income.

Countries of origin --- Debt Markets --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Household income --- Household level --- Impact of migration --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Migrants --- Policy Research --- Policy Research Working Paper --- Population Policies --- Progress --- Remittance --- Remittances

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

This paper examines the determinants of remittance behavior for Vietnam using data from the 2004 Vietnam Migration Survey on internal migrants. It considers how, among other things, the vulnerability of a migrant's life at the destination, their link to relatives back home, and the time spent at the destination affect remittances. The paper finds that migrants act as risk-averse economic agents and send remittances back to the household of origin as part of an insurance exercise in the face of economic uncertainty. Remittances are also found to be driven by a migrant's labor market earnings level. The paper highlights the important role of remittances in providing an effective means of risk-coping and mutual support within the family.

Debt Markets --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Gender --- Gender and Development --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Impact of migration --- Internal Migrants --- Labor market --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Migrant --- Migration --- Policy Research --- Policy Research Working Paper --- Population Policies --- Remittance --- Remittances --- Vulnerability

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

This paper examines the determinants of remittance behavior for Vietnam using data from the 2004 Vietnam Migration Survey on internal migrants. It considers how, among other things, the vulnerability of a migrant's life at the destination, their link to relatives back home, and the time spent at the destination affect remittances. The paper finds that migrants act as risk-averse economic agents and send remittances back to the household of origin as part of an insurance exercise in the face of economic uncertainty. Remittances are also found to be driven by a migrant's labor market earnings level. The paper highlights the important role of remittances in providing an effective means of risk-coping and mutual support within the family.

Debt Markets --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Gender --- Gender and Development --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Impact of migration --- Internal Migrants --- Labor market --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Migrant --- Migration --- Policy Research --- Policy Research Working Paper --- Population Policies --- Remittance --- Remittances --- Vulnerability

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Since 1990 migration flows from Albania have been massive, relative to the size of the country and its population, but they have also fluctuated over time. This paper presents and discusses various descriptive trends, mainly in graphical form. The data come from the Albanian Living Standards Measurement Survey, 2005 round, and cover the period 1990-2004. The resulting observed trends reflect changing push and pull factors in Albania and the two main host countries, Greece and Italy. The paper also presents a hazard approach to modeling Albanian emigration and return migration. This analysis highlights, among other things, the relevance of networks in Albanian migration dynamics, both to promote emigration and to delay return.

Anthropology --- Communities and Human Settlements --- Culture and Development --- External migration --- Family members --- Foreign direct investment --- Host countries --- Human Migrations and Resettlements --- Impact of migration --- Living standards --- Market economy --- Migration --- Migration flows --- Migration policies --- Policy dialogue --- Policy research --- Policy research working paper --- Population --- Population Policies --- Progress --- Pull factors --- Remittance --- Remittances --- Return migration --- Social Development --- Television --- Unemployment --- Voluntary and Involuntary Resettlement

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

In view of its increasing importance, and the dearth of information on return migration and its impacts on source households, this study uses data from the 2005 Albania Living Standards Measurement Study survey and assesses the impact of past migration experience of Albanian households on non-farm business ownership through instrumental variables regression techniques. Moreover, considering the differences in earning potentials and opportunities for skill acquisition in different destination countries, the impact of household past migration experience is differentiated by main migrant destinations, namely Greece and Italy. The study also tests for the hypothesis of the existence of migration cycles, by differentiating the time spent abroad based on the year of return. The empirical results indicate that household past migration experience exerts a positive impact on the probability of owning a non-farm business. While one additional year in Greece increases the probability of household business ownership by roughly 7 percent, a similar experience in Italy or further destinations raises the probability by over 30 percent. Although past migration experience for the period 1990-2000 is positively associated with the likelihood of owning a household enterprise, a similar impact does not materialize for the period 2001-2004. The latter finding seems suggestive of the fact that more recent migrants are yet to attain a target level of required savings and skills in order to successfully establish a new business upon return.

Access to Finance --- Communities & Human Settlements --- Debt Markets --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Human Migrations and Resettlements --- Impact of migration --- International Migration --- Living Standards --- Migrant --- Migrants --- Policy ReseaRch --- Policy ReseaRch WoRking PaPeR --- Population Policies --- Progress --- Return Migration --- Rural development --- Social Development --- Voluntary and Involuntary Resettlement