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The Impact of U.S. Regional Business Cycles on Remittances to Latin America

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  • Magnusson, Kristin

    (Dept. of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics)

Abstract

The current economic slowdown in the United States and the decline in remittance growth to some Latin American countries have intensified the interest in the relationship between these variables. We investigate whether host country conditions affect remittance outflows to Latin America, focusing on the roles of regional U.S. business cycles, geographical variation in immigrant density and sectoral factors. Using quarterly data for 1995-2008, we find that remittance flows are strongly influenced by economic conditions in the specific regions of the U.S. where migrants are clustered, as well as in the sectors especially important for immigrants' employment opportunities. The results are in sharp contrast to previous research suggesting that remittance flows are relatively insensitive to fluctuations in the aggregate U.S. business cycle. Precise estimation of these linkages is also shown to matter for gauging the sensitivity of remittances to economic conditions in the home country, and hence the extent to which remittances might buffer domestic shocks as well as transmitting external ones.

Suggested Citation

  • Magnusson, Kristin, 2009. "The Impact of U.S. Regional Business Cycles on Remittances to Latin America," SSE/EFI Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 710, Stockholm School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:hastef:0710
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    Cited by:

    1. Bharati Basu & James T. Bang, 2013. "Insurance and remittances: New evidence from Latin American immigrants to the US," Migration Letters, Migration Letters, vol. 10(3), pages 383-398, September.
    2. Mr. Andrew J Swiston, 2010. "Spillovers to Central America in Light of the Crisis: What a Difference a Year Makes," IMF Working Papers 2010/035, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Karla Borja, 2012. "The Impact Of The Us Recession On Immigrant Remittances In Central America," Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy (JICEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 3(03), pages 1-24.
    4. VACAFLORES, Diego E. & BECKWORTH, David, 2015. "Latin American Remittances Dependence On External Shocks," Applied Econometrics and International Development, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 15(2), pages 115-128.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Remittances; Business Cycles; Central America; Mexico; United States;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • F24 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Remittances
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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