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Migration, poverty, and inequality: Evidence from Burkina Faso

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  • Wouterse, F. S.

Abstract

"This paper applies Gini and concentration coefficient decomposition as well as the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke poverty index and a welfare function to new data from Burkina Faso to test the relationship between long-distance international migration and internal migration within the African continent and inequality, poverty, and social welfare in rural households. Findings support our theoretical expectation that this relationship varies by migrant destination. We find evidence of a negative correlation between internal migration and inequality and a positive correlation between international migration and inequality. International migration, which involves high costs and risks, appears to be mainly accessible to already wealthy households. Comparatively high remittances from this form of migration are associated with greater inequality. We also find that although international migration is associated with a much lower incidence, depth, and severity of poverty, its impact on social welfare is limited because the beneficiaries of international migration do not include the rural poor." from authors' abstract

Suggested Citation

  • Wouterse, F. S., 2008. "Migration, poverty, and inequality: Evidence from Burkina Faso," IFPRI discussion papers 786, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:fpr:ifprid:786
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    Cited by:

    1. Mazhar Mughal, 2010. "Explaining income inequalities in the developing countries- the role of human capital," Post-Print hal-01881841, HAL.
    2. Naneida Regina Lazarte Alcala & Lee C. Adkins & Bidisha Lahiri & Andreas Savvides, 2014. "Remittances and income diversification in Bolivia's rural sector," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(8), pages 848-858, March.
    3. Mazhar Mughal, 2010. "Explaining income inequalities in the developing countries- the role of human capital," Post-Print hal-01881841, HAL.
    4. Maëlan LE GOFF & Christian EBEKE, 2009. "Why Migrants' Remittances Reduce Income Inequality in some Countries and not in Others?," Working Papers 200919, CERDI.
    5. Mathias Czaika & Hein de Haas, 2012. "The Role of Internal and International Relative Deprivation in Global Migration," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(4), pages 423-442, December.
    6. Bang, James T. & Mitra, Aniruddha & Wunnava, Phanindra V., 2016. "Do remittances improve income inequality? An instrumental variable quantile analysis of the Kenyan case," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 394-402.

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    Keywords

    International migration; Internal migration; Rural households; Poverty; Social welfare; Urban-rural linkages; nonfarm;
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