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Macro- and micro-economic evidence suggests a positive role of remittances in preparing households against natural disasters and in coping with the loss afterwards. Analysis of cross-country macroeconomic data shows that remittances increase in the aftermath of natural disasters in countries that have a larger number of migrants abroad. Analysis of household survey data in Bangladesh shows that per capita consumption was higher in remittance-receiving households than in others after the 1998 flood. Ethiopian remittance-dependent households seem to use cash reserves rather than sell livestock to cope with drought. In Burkina Faso and Ghana, international remittance-receiving households, especially those receiving remittances from high-income developed countries, tend to have housing built of concrete rather than mud and greater access to communication equipment, suggesting that they are better prepared against natural disasters.

Debt Markets --- Developing countries --- Environment --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Food security --- Foreign direct investment --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Household level --- International migrants --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Migrant --- Migration --- Natural Disasters --- Natural disasters --- Number of migrants --- Policy --- Policy research --- Policy research working paper --- Population --- Population Policies --- Progress --- Remittance --- Remittances --- Safety net --- Sustainable development --- Vulnerability --- Workshop

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Using a recently compiled dataset on migration and remittances in Ghana, this paper estimates the determinants of an individual's likelihood to be an internal migrant and the relationship between internal migration and welfare. The analysis finds that the likelihood to migrate is determined by a combination of individual (pull) and community-level (push) characteristics. The probability of migration is higher for younger and more educated individuals, but communities with higher levels of literacy, higher rates of subsidized medical care, and better access to water and sanitation are less likely to produce migrants. The analysis finds that households with migrants tend to be better off than similar households without migrants, even after controlling for the fact that households with migrants are a non-random sample of Ghanaians. However, the positive relationship is only true for households with at least one migrant in urban areas; the welfare of households with migrants exclusively in rural areas is no different from households without any migrants.

Anthropology --- Culture and Development --- Formal education --- Gender --- Gender and Development --- Health --- Household income --- Household size --- Internal migrants --- Internal Migration --- Labor supply --- Living Standards --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Medical care --- Migrant --- Migrants --- Number of migrants --- Nutrition and Population --- Policy Research --- Policy Research Working Paper --- Population Policies --- Progress --- Remittances --- Rural areas --- Rural origin --- Sanitation --- Social Development --- Urban areas --- Urban communities --- Voluntary and Involuntary Resettlement

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Remittances are a sizeable source of external financing for developing countries. In the L'Aquila 2009 G8 Summit, leaders pledged to reduce the cost of remittances by half in 5 years (from 10 to 5 percent). Yet, empirically, little is known about what drives the cost of remittances. Using newly gathered data across 119 country corridors, this paper explores the factors that determine the cost of remittances. Considering average costs across all types of institutions, the authors find that corridors with larger numbers of migrants and more competition among remittances service providers exhibit lower costs. By contrast, remittance costs are higher in richer corridors and in corridors with greater bank participation in the remittances market. Comparing results across all banks and all money transfer operators separately, the analysis finds few significant differences. However, estimations for Western Union, a leading player in the remittances business, suggest that this firm's prices are insensitive to competition.

Access to Finance --- Debt Markets --- Developing countries --- Economic Theory and Research --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Foreign direct investment --- Government policies --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Infant --- Infant mortality --- International Conference on Migration --- Level of education --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Migrant --- Migrants --- Number of migrants --- Policy makers --- Policy Research --- Population Policies --- Progress --- Recipient country --- Remittance --- Remittances --- Rural population --- Service provider --- Service providers

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Using a recently compiled dataset on migration and remittances in Ghana, this paper estimates the determinants of an individual's likelihood to be an internal migrant and the relationship between internal migration and welfare. The analysis finds that the likelihood to migrate is determined by a combination of individual (pull) and community-level (push) characteristics. The probability of migration is higher for younger and more educated individuals, but communities with higher levels of literacy, higher rates of subsidized medical care, and better access to water and sanitation are less likely to produce migrants. The analysis finds that households with migrants tend to be better off than similar households without migrants, even after controlling for the fact that households with migrants are a non-random sample of Ghanaians. However, the positive relationship is only true for households with at least one migrant in urban areas; the welfare of households with migrants exclusively in rural areas is no different from households without any migrants.

Anthropology --- Culture and Development --- Formal education --- Gender --- Gender and Development --- Health --- Household income --- Household size --- Internal migrants --- Internal Migration --- Labor supply --- Living Standards --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Medical care --- Migrant --- Migrants --- Number of migrants --- Nutrition and Population --- Policy Research --- Policy Research Working Paper --- Population Policies --- Progress --- Remittances --- Rural areas --- Rural origin --- Sanitation --- Social Development --- Urban areas --- Urban communities --- Voluntary and Involuntary Resettlement

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The authors examine the role of migration networks in determining self-selection patterns of Mexico-U.S. migration. They first present a simple theoretical framework showing how such networks impact on migration incentives at different education levels and, consequently, how they are likely to affect the expected skill composition of migration. Using survey data from Mexico, the authors then show that the probability of migration is increasing with education in communities with low migrant networks, but decreasing with education in communities with high migrant networks. This is consistent with positive self-selection of migrants being driven by high migration costs, and with negative self-selection of migrants being driven by lower returns to education in the U.S. than in Mexico.

Anthropology --- Communities & Human Settlements --- Culture & Development --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Financial Literacy --- Gender --- Gender and Social Development --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Human Migrations and Resettlements --- Immigrants --- Immigration --- Important Policy --- Income Inequality --- Industry --- International Migration --- Job Opportunities --- Labor Market --- Language Proficiency --- Migrant --- Migrants --- Migration --- Number of Migrants --- Policy --- Policy Research --- Policy Research Working Paper --- Population --- Population Policies --- Poverty --- Progress --- Respect --- Skill Level --- Social Development --- Technology Industry --- Voluntary and Involuntary Resettlement